Young Germans enjoy alcohol -free beer as camp sales fall

The Germans drink less beer, but soft varieties are more popular than ever.

The Federal Statistical Service of Destatis in Germany says sales of non -alcoholic sales have been more than doubled in recent years – by 109% since 2013 – although beer sales are more at their lowest level for more than 30 years.

For the first time, they fell below 4 billion liters over a half -year period.

Sales of German beer dropped by 6.3% – or 262 million liters – to about 3.9 billion liters in the first half of 2025, compared to the same period last year.

The Erdinger Brewery near Munich has been making beer from the 1880s, and its CEO Stefan Craish says

“We need to find a way to make beer, even if it is soft, attractive to young people.

“You need to understand the ways they meet and the ways they party together. There is no algorithm to tell you that you now need beer.”

Stefan Creis still sees the culture of German beer as sustainable and nowadays his company promotes its beer without alcohol at sports events, as a natural alternative to energy drinks.

At the Kosmos Cafe in Munich Bartender Luis von Tucher, he says many of his customers are healthier.

“In the 2000s, I remember that people were postponed if you tell them you may have to have a glass of water … and they will really be offended.”

But now he has found a change.

“Everyone is a little more aware of their consumption. I think most people still drink alcohol, but they make it more conscious and have drinks without alcohol between them.”

However, Lewis says that beer does not go away with full force.

“It’s a slight shift, he said, I guess we sell 150 to 500 liters of normal beer at night, compared to maybe 20 liters of beer without alcohol. So there is still a huge gap between these two.”

At the Sandkerwa Folklore Festival in Bamberg in North Bavaria, the tradition of drinking alcohol in Germany looks alive and well.

During the five -day celebration, the winding, medieval streets of Bamberg were filled with musicians, sausage booths and countless beer stalls that make a roaring trade.

At Sandstrasse in the old town of Paskal, he drank beer with a friend.

“Beer is very important for the city and we have many breweries here,” he said.

“People come here for beer and for the festival. I can’t imagine consuming beer here in Bamberg is really smaller than before.”

Standing in front of a beer garden, Magdalena, a student, agreed.

“I look around and everyone has a glass of beer in my hand. So I guess, especially in this part of Germany, beer is just a massive part of everyday life, although it is not healthy. We all know it,” she said.

“I feel that especially in my generation, people tend to drink less daily, but it is still Germany, it is still Bavaria.”