German beer consumption rose 1.4% in 2006, the largest gain – and, in fact, only the second – in 12 years.
Increases sales are credited to the month-long World Cup football tournament and don’t necessarily indicate the slide of the last decade is over. Sales have declined 15% in the last dozen years. Only in 2004, when weather was unusually warm most of the summer, were brewers able to increase in production.
[Via Reuters.]