Beer consumption in Czechia falls to record low of 121 litres

Czechs drank a record-low amount of beer last year — just 121 litres per person, according to the Czech Beer and Malt Association. It is the lowest figure in the history of the association's statistics, even though Czechs still drink almost twice as much as the EU average.

EU production is falling too

Fresh Eurostat data confirm the broader trend: breweries in the European Union produced 34.4 billion litres of beer last year — less than the year before. Germany remains by far the largest producer, followed by Spain and Poland.

Czechia accounts for almost 6% of EU beer

Czech breweries brewed almost two billion litres of beer last year, accounting for 5.8% of total EU production, the association reported. Czechs nevertheless remain Europe's consumption record-holders: they drink almost twice the EU average, which stands at 67 litres a year.

Consumption down a quarter in 20 years

Back in 2007, each Czech drank almost 159 litres of beer a year. Consumption then began to decline: it fell below 150 litres around 2010 and held at around 140 before the pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the fall, and a brief uptick in 2022 proved short-lived. Over not quite twenty years, consumption has dropped by roughly a quarter.

Tomáš Slunečko, executive director of the Czech Beer and Malt Association, explained the change in habits: “People are consuming less alcohol, trying to be more active and paying more attention to a healthy lifestyle.” He said the shift is also generational: young people want variety and are trying flavoured, non-alcoholic or craft beers instead of traditional lager.

A tradition with a thousand years of history

Brewing in Czechia has a tradition spanning more than a thousand years — the first written mention of beer production dates back to 1088. Czechs changed the industry's history worldwide in 1842, when brewer Josef Groll brewed the first batch of pale Pilsner-style lager in Plzeň, which then spread around the world. Since 2008, Czech beer has held a protected geographical indication from the European Union.

Petr Dvořák, general director of Budvar in České Budějovice, said the decline does not affect all market segments equally: “People today often drink less, but they choose better-quality beer.” He said beers in higher price categories suffer less from the drop in sales — a pattern also seen in the rest of Europe.

Read also: Studio ALTA: how an abandoned brewery in Libeň became a home for contemporary dance in Prague

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz