Decline in German Beer Sales

The BBC reports today that the Germans have drunk less beer this year!

The decline in beer drinking can be attributed to the rainy weather, higher prices and the smoking ban. German breweries sold 4.93bn litres of beer in the first six months of 2009, down 4.5% on the same period a year earlier. Aside from the factors mentioned earlier analysts have also said that the ageing population has caused beer consumption to decline as this section of the population traditionally drinks less. The number one contributing factor from the ones given has been the weather, the wet weather has not just been experienced in the UK. Germans have spent less time in their gardens and beer gardens thus demand has fallen.