Suds Production, Consumption Dips In Germany

The economy is sluggish, unemployment is near a record. But Germans aren’t drowning their sorrows in beer.

Germans drank 3.26 percent less beer last year than in 1995. And German breweries produced less, remaining in third place behind the United States and China.

Michael Dietzsch, president of the brewers association, blamed the drop in beer production and consumption on the slow-moving economy and the 11.7 percent unemployment - or 4.5 million potential beer consumers out of work.

Beer consumption in 1996 was an average 131.7 liters (34.8 gallons) for each German resident.

The year before, the average was 4.3 liters (1.118 U.S. gallons) more.

Germany’s 1,234 beer producers also reduced their production in 1996, making only 114.5 million hectoliters (3,024,861,000 gallons). That’s 2.5 million hectoliters (66,045,000 gallons) less than in 1995.