It isn't just us that's got it bad. German beer consumption has continued its steady decline, dropping to just under 100 million hectolitres in 2009 (61 million UK barrels) in 2009.
Peter Hahn, from the German Brewers Federation, said "We hope this year that the weather is good, Germany does well at the World Cup and that plenty of people go to the pub or beer garden to watch the matches with a beer". The federation blamed the desperate economic situation in Germany last year for the decline. Germany, Europe's top economy, suffered a five percent contraction in 2009, the worst slump since World War II. A longer-term trend towards less manual work and more office-based employment had also reduced Germans' after-hours thirst, the federation said.
If that wasn't bad enough, there has been a sharp rise in alcohol related youth violence over the last decade, a new study released on Monday showed. Increases of up to 17% have been reported. The southern state of Bavaria had the highest increase, with the percentage of alcohol-related violence jumping by 17.4 percent from 2000 to 2008. Meanwhile the states of Rhineland-Palatinate, Brandenburg and Lower Saxony reported increases of between four and 12.4 percent.
One of the nation’s top criminologists, Christian Pfeiffer, said that Germany has a “massive alcohol problem among young people that has trended upwards” compared to other nations.Pfeiffer encouraged a blanket alcohol ban for young people under the age of 18, which he said would help reduce violence. Current German law allows children to begin buying beer and wine at age 16.
This was all reported in the Local, an English language on line newspaper. At least the local illustrated the youth violence article with a supermarket shelf full of wine, not beer, so that's something.
13 comments:
Scheiße!
Deutschen nicht Bier trinken? Es ist wie gesagt die französisch begonnen haben, Seife zu verwenden!
Wie England die WM gewinnen, sind sie in den Wind pinkeln.
Any figures on how German beer consumption compares with that in the UK?
Aber Deutschen müssen mehr bier trinken. Bezüglich Englands - wer weiss? Die Französen? Wer sich sorgt
Oh und im wind pissen ist es nicht?
Mudgie - Not sure if the figures are out yet. I haven't seen them if they are.
Well I should add sales were down 4.2% overall but what that makes the figures and the year on year - I don't know.
Looks like we have two volunteers to monitor the online German versions of Das Sonnen and the Tagliche Post to see how they're reporting 'Broken Deutschkand'... 8-)
Not volunteering for nowt Sid. I only read Das Bild for the tits and football. Same reason I read the current bun.
I'm wondering if there is the equivalent of Pete Brown in Germany to debunk the figures?
Ben
Herr Boggly: Alle auf Deutsch? Ich denke so nicht.
Corripe Cervisiam!
Erm: nein. aber ja aberneinaberjaabernein... 8-)
I'm doing my part.
A part of the problem with the rise in youthful "Komasaufen" (drinking yourself into a coma) IMO is that it's not as stigmatised as it might be elsewhere, certainly not like it is in Yankley. Same for sales to minors; Schnaps and other alcohol is routinely sold to minors unchecked in supermarkets, in pubs...I've seen it on tv. There's precious little done in the way of sting operations and penalisation.
I'm torn: I like the liberal attitude toward youthful drinking, but am concerned about the rising problems.
(You can drink beer in the UK at 16, can't you?)
Maybe it's all that 'hop extrakt'? ;)
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