In Germany, the decline in popularity of German beer was linked to the development of production in the Russian Federation

The decline in popularity of German beer in Germany itself, as well as a partial drop in the rating of German breweries, occurs for many reasons. As German political scientist Eike Hammer told Izvestia on July 2, some of them are related, among other things, to the growth of brewing production in Russia.

"In the case of beer, the production costs are quite high. This is another reason why mass production no longer works. What works is that people in small towns have their own private breweries. And what they produce is mostly sold in restaurants in this village, in local shops, and so on. And they make a decent profit," Hammer explained.

The expert notes that, on the other hand, there is an increase in brewing production in Russia, China and Africa, where the growth rates "amaze the Germans."

"These markets are not captured by German brewers <...>. That's why the German society of brewers, or the community of all these brewers, is increasingly disintegrating. In terms of quantity, they may persist or even increase, but in terms of production they decrease, especially in such growing societies as Russia, Africa, China and so on," said the political scientist.

In his opinion, Russia is the most important market for everyone who works in the German industry, the "market of the future." However, German politicians who have close ties to American chains have banned this market for German brewers.

"And these people, although they wanted to stay in Russia, were unable to do so. They (the authorities. — Ed.) blocked the flow of money. What they have made a policy formally directed against Russia is, in fact, a strategy against German medium-sized businesses. And all of this is led by people who have very close ties to American networks. And yes, everyone who wants to remain in the top league of companies in the future should work in the Russian market," Hammer concluded.

In June, a number of German media outlets wrote about the brewing industry crisis in the country. In particular, the Bild newspaper noted in a June 11 publication that one of the reasons for the collapse of large German breweries is the restructuring of the market by Russia after nationalization. As a result, the largest brewing company in Russia, Baltika, owned by Carlsberg, returned to 12th place in the rating, and OPH Vereinigte Brauereien, once a member of Heineken, took 24th place. The newspaper stressed that both groups, previously controlled by the West, are now working independently and are becoming stronger, while German beer brands are almost not listed in the top 40.

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On March 28, the Center for the Development of Advanced Technologies (CRPT) announced that beer production had increased in Russia. So, in February, brewers produced 48 million liters of the drink more than in January: 661 million to 612 million liters, respectively.

Later, on April 28, Kamal Lebedev, executive director of the association of beer and alcohol market participants, stressed that the skill of brewers is growing in Russia now. According to his data, there are currently over 2,000 breweries in Russia. There are about 200 large enterprises.