Pandemic weighs down German beer sales again in 1st half

BERLIN (AP) — German beer sales in this year’s first half were 2.7% lower than a year earlier. They were dragged lower by closures of bars and restaurants that stretched through winter and into spring. The Federal Statistical Office said Friday that German-based breweries and distributors sold about 4.2 billion liters (1.1 billion gallons) of beer from January to June. That figure doesn’t include alcohol-free beer or beer imported from outside the European Union. Domestic sales dropped 4.9% compared with the first half of 2020 to 3.3 billion liters (872 million gallons). First-half exports were higher in contrast. There was a 3.5% increase in exports to other EU countries and an 11.9% jump in sales to nations outside the EU.