The Hell beer variety is rising to new heights in consumer favor and has even helped the traditional pilsner Veltins in Sauerland achieve record sales. With a market share of almost 50 percent, Pils remains by far the most popular type of beer in Germany, Veltins said, referring to data from market researchers at Nielsen. However, Pils sales in the trade shrank by a good four percent compared to the same period last year. Hell, on the other hand, is the biggest winner among the types of beer: with an increase in sales of almost 14 percent and a market share that has grown further to 8.8 percent, Helles is number two, well ahead of other types such as wheat beer.
The Veltins private brewery achieved record sales in the 2021 financial year, also thanks to its Pülleken Hell brand. Total output increased by 5.1 percent to almost 3.1 million hectoliters. This slightly exceeded the previous high from 2019.
Pülleken was responsible for most of the growth. The new brand came to 0.2 million hectoliters. The brewery recorded a slight recovery with draft beer from the Pils brand Veltins, with an increase in sales of almost ten percent. In the pandemic years 2020 and 2021, however, the proportion of draft beer in the brewery’s total output fell significantly from 17 to 8.1 percent. Total sales increased by 5.8 percent to 362 million euros in 2021.