World beer production is expected to fall this year. The world’s largest hop specialist, BarthHaas from Nuremberg, is assuming a decline of half a percent to one percent, said Managing Director Peter Hintermeier. However, a precise outlook is currently very difficult. “Like the entire global economy, the brewing industry has been hit hard by the consequences of the Ukraine war.” Around five percent of the world’s beer production is brewed in Russia and Ukraine. Last year, Russia was the sixth largest beer producer in the world with 8.2 billion liters, just behind Germany, which, according to BarthHaas, produced 8.5 billion liters. The largest beer producer in the world is China with 36 billion liters. The declining beer production will not be due to a lack of hops. Last year, significantly more hops were harvested than needed. Because farmers usually have long-term supply contracts, they are less affected than the currently rising costs, for example for energy and labour, as Hintermeier explains. The current harvest in Europe could be weaker due to the current drought.
World Beer Production – Too Much Hops – Economy
