Oktoberfest hosts skeptical Non-alcoholic beer is becoming increasingly popular
Alcohol-free alternatives to conventional beer are in vogue - even at the Munich Oktoberfest. But according to Wiesn bosses and landlord spokespeople, a separate alcohol-free beer garden on the festival grounds is unthinkable.
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- In Germany, per capita consumption of non-alcoholic beer has risen.
- In Switzerland, too, consumption rose by 5.3% to just under 280,000 hectoliters in the 2022/23 brewing year.
- Despite the growing popularity of non-alcoholic beer, Wiesn landlords reject the idea of a separate beer garden for non-alcoholic beverages.
The demand for non-alcoholic beer has increased slightly to around four percent, said Wiesn landlord spokesman Peter Inselkammer.
German per capita consumption last year was 88 liters of beer, of which just under 8 liters were non-alcoholic, as the German Brewers' Association recently announced. Alcohol-free beer is increasingly becoming an export hit - for example to other EU countries and the USA.
Non-alcoholic beer has also gained popularity in Switzerland, but is consumed significantly less than alcoholic beer. According to the Swiss Brewers Association, output in the 2022/23 brewing year rose by 5.3% to just under 280,000 hectoliters.
A total of 4.57 million hectoliters of beer were sold, as the Brewers' Association announced at the end of the last brewing year.
More lemonade and apple spritzer
The Oktoberfest is skeptical. A separate beer garden at the Wiesn, where there are only non-alcoholic drinks, like the one that has just opened in Munich near the main train station - Wiesn boss Clemens Baumgärtner (CSU), Peter Inselkammer and the second spokesman for the hosts Christian Schottenhamel don't think much of it.
"The correct Bavarian expression would be: So a Schmarrn!", said Schottenhamel. Nobody is forced to drink alcohol in the beer gardens. And there is an alcohol-free offer, said Inselkammer.
"People didn't switch to non-alcoholic beer last year, but rather to other non-alcoholic drinks," he said about consumer behavior. Sales of sweet drinks such as lemonade and apple spritzer increased significantly.
