Overview

• The number of breweries in Germany has fallen to 1,459, a decline of 93 since 2019, reversing decades of growth driven by craft beer startups.
• Bavaria experienced the largest absolute decline, losing 50 breweries, though it still leads the country with 598 remaining breweries.
• Key challenges include high energy costs, which account for up to 20% of production costs for smaller breweries, and declining beer consumption, which hit its lowest level in 2024 since 1993.
• Future investments in climate-neutral operations by 2045 pose significant financial hurdles, with required infrastructure changes costing many breweries up to 80% of their current facility value.
• Despite the nationwide decline, regions like Saxony and Thuringia have bucked the trend, showing slight increases in brewery numbers over the past five years.