No buzz, no problem: Germany sees non-alcoholic drinks gain popularity

Statistics from the National Breweries Association show that there has been a steady decline in beer sales since 2015.

Transcript

00:00The October Beer Festival is in full swing in Germany, but one thing might be missing

00:08in some people's mugs and bottles. Alcohol. There's been a growing trend in revelers in

00:14the country seeking out an alternative to booze with a similar taste, but without the

00:19risk of a hangover. The National Statistics Office says that the amount of non-alcoholic

00:25beer produced for sale more than doubled in ten years, from 2013 to 2023. Velvet Bar

00:34has been offering alcohol-free cocktails since it opened seven years ago. Bartender Ruben

00:40Neidach says there's been a growing amount of people asking for the drinks and more discussion

00:45about them in the industry.

00:46In bar publications like on non-alcoholic products, on how to create a non-alcoholic

00:54drink, so there's definitely an increase in that. It used to be among the bartenders

01:00you would boo upon making non-alcoholic drinks. Well, I think it's fun and a challenge.

01:08One brewery in Berlin told Euronews its non-alcoholic beer is one of its most in-demand bottled

01:15beers. And in Munich, the home of Oktoberfest, an alcohol-free pop-up beer garden opened

01:21this year.

01:23Statistics from the National Breweries Association shows that there has been a steady decline

01:27in beer sales since 2015, the biggest drop in 2020 when the pandemic forced bars to close

01:34down. But numbers haven't recovered since.

01:39The trend comes amid louder alarm bells over the risks of booze. Last year, the World Health

01:46Organization said there was no safe amount of alcohol to drink. It says the substance

01:52can cause at least seven types of cancer. Rubin says people's concerns over their well-being

01:58seem to be translating into consumer choices.

02:02I think people are more aware of the health impact it might have. And also a bar ages

02:11with its patrons. So I think that as we as a bar grow older, on average our patrons are

02:19a little bit older. So there is a bit more of a responsible consumption of alcohol.