Beer sales by German breweries fell sharply in 2025, recording their steepest decline since records began more than 30 years ago.

Industry representatives attributed the fall in sales to the growing popularity of non-alcoholic beer and to more modest consumption habits generally. The Brewers’ Association said Monday that alcohol-free beer is the fastest-growing market segment.

“Alcohol consumption is declining, especially among young people, which is of course good for public health,” Anke Rehlinger, minister-president of Saarland state in southwest Germany, told POLITICO on Tuesday. The Social Democratic politician was named the country’s “beer ambassador” for 2025 by Germany’s Brewers’ Association lobby.

Rehlinger added: “Germans are drinking their beer more consciously. And as a beer ambassador, I advocate for the art of brewing and the craft closely tied to our culture, which combines innovation and diversity with a great deal of tradition.”

According to a Monday press release from Germany’s Federal Statistical Office, total domestic and foreign beer sales dropped below 8 billion liters last year for the first time since records began in 1993. Over 80 per cent of the beer was sold in Germany; the figures do not include non-alcoholic beer or malt drinks.

According to the Brewers’ Association, non-alcoholic beer accounted for 10 percent of total beer sales and ranked as the third-most popular beer category in Germany. The association added that falling economic consumption by people in general was also weighing on beer sales. “The situation of gastronomy is still worrying,” the statement said.

Germany is the world’s largest producer of non-alcoholic beer, the industry lobby noted. “People are looking for high-quality, flavorful beers that fit every life situation,” said Christian Weber, president of the Brewers’ Association.

The association urging politicians to lower energy costs, saying energy and labor are the biggest cost drivers for breweries.

On the issue, Rehlinger told POLITICO: “Smaller and larger breweries need competitive production conditions, such as affordable energy prices or targeted support — for example, for investments in sustainability.”

Another politician on the list of former beer ambassadors is Germany’s Bundestag President Julia Klöckner, who was also elected Wine Queen — an ambassadorial role given by winemakers to a young woman they deem knowledgeable about wine — roughly 30 years ago.

PLEASE USE THIS PIC, THIS CAPTION, INLINE (different pic for main) https://www.gettyimages.be/detail/nieuwsfoto%27s/die-deutsche-weink%C3%B6nigin-1995-96-julia-kl%C3%B6ckner-h%C3%A4lt-am-

Julia Klöckner, the 1995/96 German Wine Queen, holds a glass of white wine in her hand on Jan. 10, 1996. She is now the president of the Bundestag.

POLITICO reached out to Klöckner to ask how the industry could be revived, but her spokeswoman said the president was not available to answer questions on the matter.

Pilsner remains the country’s most popular type of beer, with a market share of around 50 percent.