Only six German beer producers among the top 40 breweries
Nuremberg/Kreuztal. In the ranking of the world's largest beer producers, Krombacher remains the only private brewery headquartered in North Rhine-Westphalia. According to an analysis by the world's largest hop trader BarthHaas using data from 2024, Krombacher ranked 32nd among the top 40 with just under 0.6 billion liters, up from 31st place the previous year.
The 2020 ranking included eight German beer producers instead of the current six. At that time, the family-run businesses Warsteiner (Haus Cramer Group) and, for a short time, Veltins, which are also direct competitors of Krombacher, as well as the German beer market leader, the Radeberger Group, based in Frankfurt am Main and owned by the food giant Oetker Group, were included.
According to the analysis, the top 40 breweries worldwide produced a total of almost 164 billion liters of beer in 2024. This represents a slight decline of 0.6 percent compared to 2023. Of the six German producers, only the Bitburger Brewery Group achieved an increase (1.5 percent). This group also includes the König Brewery in Duisburg.
The TCB Beteiligungsgesellschaft, which owns the Feldschlößchen breweries in Dresden and Gilde in Hanover, kept its beer output constant. According to the analysis, the Paulaner Group performed in line with the average of the top 40 (minus 0.6 percent). Both the German market leader, the Radeberger Group, and Krombacher recorded a decline of 1.4 percent. A significant decline of 12 percent was reported for the Oettinger Group.
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Nationalization of foreign brewing activities in Russia, in particular, caused all German beer producers to drop in the rankings. Baltika, the largest brewery in the Russian Federation, returns to the rankings at 12th place, now operating independently of its former parent company, Carlsberg. Also new to the top 40 is the Russian group OPH Vereinigte Brauereien, formerly part of Heineken, which ranks 24th.
Overall, German breweries have long played a relatively minor role in the rankings. With 1.04 billion liters, the Radeberger Group, which, in addition to the eponymous brand, includes Jever, DAB, Berliner Pilsner, and Sternburg, ranks 23rd (previous year: 22nd). This is followed by TCB in 28th (26th), Oettinger in 30th (25th), Paulaner in 31st (29th), Krombacher in 32nd (31st), and Bitburger in 33rd (32nd). The global number one, AB InBev, which in Germany owns Beck's, among others, brewed just under 50 billion liters.
The ranking of the 40 largest breweries is published annually. It contains some estimates, and some previous year's figures have been subsequently adjusted. The German beer market has been shrinking for some time.
RND/dpa
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