More and more Germans are opting for non-alcoholic beer. For breweries, it’s a fast-growing business. What are the reasons for this boom in the beverage market?
Production of non-alcoholic beer has almost doubled since 2007. Around 670 million liters were brewed in 2022. A survey by pollster Allensbach last year found that almost ten million people had recently bought or drunk a non-alcoholic beer.
According to the German Brewers’ Association, no other segment in the brewing industry has grown as strongly as non-alcoholic beers and non-alcoholic beer mixes in the last ten years. “Today, Germany is the world leader in the production of non-alcoholic beers. Non-alcoholic beers are therefore becoming increasingly important for the 1,500 German breweries,” says General Manager Holger Eichele. Currently, the share of the total beer market is seven percent.
Greater variety of varieties
One brewery that is particularly concerned with the subject is Störtebeker Braumanufaktur from Stralsund. Jens Reineke-Lautenbacher is the innovation manager there and has set himself the goal of being able to offer a particularly large variety of varieties. “Starting with non-alcoholic pilsner as the starting point for the category, through non-alcoholic wheat beer as a sports drink, to non-alcoholic brew specialties such as our Atlantik Ale Non-Alcoholic as a response to the craft beer movement, the range of varieties has grown significantly in recent years,” he reports. This is possible because there is now a market for it. The people of Stralsund already brew every fourth to fifth liter of beer alcohol-free.
Paulaner in Munich has been selling alcohol-free beer for 37 years, says brewery boss Jörg Lehmann. We are very satisfied with the development. The end of the Corona crisis is one reason why non-alcoholic beer is in greater demand again. “People are more mobile again. That means they are increasingly turning to alcohol-free beer when they are out and about by car or bicycle. Overall, we are continuing to grow very well in this segment,” says Lehmann.
0.0 percent particularly in demand
Beers with an alcohol content of 0.0 percent are particularly in demand. The Bitburger brewery is the market leader in this segment. Five beers and mixed beer drinks are now available here as a 0.0 percent offer. “Due to the steadily increasing importance of non-alcoholic beverages for our sales and turnover figures, Bitburger 0.0 percent has been a fundamental part of our portfolio for several years,” says Marketing Director Christoph Weber.
Paulaner observes differences in who chooses which non-alcoholic beer. “The 0.0 percent beer drinkers consciously opt for beers with no residual alcohol in order to promote an active lifestyle in their own drinking behavior. For them, it plays a subordinate role whether the product has an original beer taste or not,” says Jörg Lehmann. “They tend to come from the corner of soft drink consumers who are looking for an alternative, more conscious thirst quencher.” But there are also lovers of classic non-alcoholic beers who demand a taste that is close to that of alcoholic beers.
New processes improve taste
The days when non-alcoholic beers were mainly drunk by drivers are long gone, according to the German Brewers’ Association. New brewing processes have improved the taste and quality enormously. The changing consumption and lifestyle habits of people and growing health awareness also ensure that non-alcoholic beers and mixed beer drinks are becoming increasingly popular. “Non-alcoholic beers are drunk on a wide variety of occasions and have long outgrown their niche. Many non-alcoholic beers are mineral and isotonic, so that the body can process and use the ingredients particularly easily – an advantage that athletes in particular appreciate,” says Holger Eichele .
A survey commissioned by the Brauerbund 2021 showed that consumers particularly appreciate the good taste, the low number of calories and the use of only natural raw materials in non-alcoholic beers.
Young people in particular drink non-alcoholic beer
Jens Reineke-Lautenbacher from Störtebeker cannot identify a specific target group. “In general, however, it is precisely the young people and those with an interest in a health-conscious lifestyle who are particularly open to such products.” Non-alcoholic beer stands for “a generation-spanning, relaxed enjoyment that can be well reconciled with the changing consumer awareness towards a health-conscious lifestyle,” says Lars Dammertz, Head of Marketing Beer at the Krombacher Brewery.
There are now more and more regional varieties such as Kölsch or Alt. The Brauer-Bund expects that every tenth beer brewed in Germany will soon be alcohol-free.