Russia has overtaken Germany as Europe’s top beer producer for the first time in 12 years, brewing 9.1 billion liters in 2024 compared to Germany’s 8.4 billion, according to the German business daily Handelsblatt.

The shift is largely attributed to Russia’s reduced trade with other European nations following the start of the Ukraine war, which spurred a boost in domestic production.

Globally, China led with 34 billion liters, followed by the US (18 billion), Brazil (14.7 billion) and Mexico (14.5 billion), with Russia and Germany ranking 5th and 6th, respectively.

While beer is not on the EU’s sanctions list, European beer producers have faced criticism for continuing exports to Russia, which launched a military invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

don@heraldcorp.com