Anheuser-Busch InBev has reportedly decided to start brewing Corona Extra in Germany.
According to numerous reports in Germany, the brand is being produced at AB InBev’s Hasseröder brewery.
AB InBev told news agency dpa-AFX it is already brewing Corona Extra at the site in Wernigerode in central Germany.
The Belgium-headquartered company had to obtain official permits to brew Corona Extra in Germany. Germany’s ‘purity law’ limits brewers to using just malt, hops, yeast and water in beer production. Corona Extra contains corn and rice.
AB InBev has made similar moves in the US to take the production of its brands closer to the point of sale.
In recent years, the brewer has started brewing Stella Artois, Bass and Beck’s brands to its facilities in the US.
Speaking on AB InBev’s Stella Artois move last year, Rabobank analysts Francois Sonneville and Jim Watson said: “One reason brewers have been reluctant to brew imported beer locally in the US is concern over the impact on brand perception.
“There was considerable backlash against the Beck’s brand when consumers learned the German brand was being brewed in the US.”
Beer sales in Germany fell in 2023 after a brief upturn the previous year, according to data from the country’s Federal Statistical Office (Destatis).
Breweries and beer warehouses in Germany sold approximately 8.4bn litres of beer in 2023, down 4.5% on 2022.
In 2022, sales increased 2.7% on the previous 12 months to 8.8bn litres. However, the figures for 2023 underline the long-term decline in beer sales. The 2023 figure is 11.5% lower than 2013’s 9.5bn litres. On a thirty-year scale, sales in 2023 were 25.5% lower than in 1993 when the nation consumed 11.2bn litres.
German domestic beer sales fell by 4.2% last year to 6.9bn litres. According to Destatis, 82.8% of beer sales in 2023 were consumed and taxed in Germany.
The country exported 1.4bn litres of beer in 2023, down 5.9% on 2022’s exports. Of that export figure, 784m litres went to EU countries, while 646m litres was sold in non-EU countries.
