Belgium drops out of EU's top 5 beer producers as alcohol-free data goes unreported

Belgium has dropped out of the top five European Union beer producers for the first time, because the EU now includes alcohol-free beer in its rankings and received no Belgian data for that category. Most European countries saw beer production decline, except Spain, which rose by nearly a quarter. Germany remains the EU leader with 7.4 billion liters produced last year, accounting for over a fifth of total EU output, supported by its large population and high per-capita consumption. Spain is now second, having overtaken Poland in 2022, while total EU production stood at 34 billion liters. Spain's rise reflects growing beer popularity in a traditional wine country, aided by its suitability for cold serving in a Mediterranean climate and smaller bottle sizes. Brewers have successfully positioned beer as a trendy new drink there.