Germany loves to quench its thirst on a brewski or two but in recent years more citizens of the land of beer have been opting for a non-alcoholic version of the beverage.
Germans are still drinking a lot; according to a 2021 report by the World Health Organisation (WHO), the country has the fourth highest alcohol consumption per capita in the EU. But in recent years, more people in Germany opting for the hangover-free route and choosing a non-alcoholic beer.
Figures from the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) reveal that the production of non-alcoholic beer, which contains less than 0,5 percent alcohol, has nearly doubled in the past decade.
Companies are stepping in and lapping up the customers thirsty for a non-alcoholic cold one. According to figures from the German Brewers’ Association (DBB), shoppers can now choose from 700 non-alcoholic beer brands available in German supermarkets - double the number that were available on sale in 2010.
Times are changing: not only are grown-up Germans choosing more alcoholic-free beverages, but the increasing trend among youngsters is all TikTok no Bitburg. According to a study by the Federal Centre for Health Education, more kids are opting for a night staring at the screen than drinking an Augustiner in a rainy park. Only 8,7 percent of Germans aged 12 to 17 are drinking once a week compared to 14 percent back in 2011.
Their teenage antics pale in comparison to that of their grandparents' generation, 25 percent of whom were drinking once a week as teenagers back in 1979, the decade when non-alcoholic beer was first widely sold on the German market.
According to 2021 figures from the Statistical Office of the European Union (Eurostat), the trend can be seen across the continent. Alcohol consumption steadily increases in line with age, with just 2,6 percent of 25 to 30-year-olds drinking once a day, compared to 8,2 percent of 45 to 54-year-olds. Among those old enough to retire, the numbers shoot up with 31,6 percent of those aged over 65 drinking on the daily.
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