COLOGNE, Germany (AP) Bars have been closed for more than three months, Carnival celebrations are canceled, and it s not clear when things will get better in Germany. That has left the boss of Brauerei Heller, an organic brewery in Cologne, thinking “from week to week” as she tries to chart a course out of the coronavirus pandemic.
Official data released last week showed beer sales in Germany dropped 5.5% last year to 8.7 billion liters (2.3 billion gallons), a decline fostered by lengthy shutdowns.
German bars and restaurants were closed from March until May, and have been shut again since the beginning of November as part of the country’s second lockdown. Major events and festivals where large amounts of beer would usually be consumed also have been canceled.