Beer sales are down in the Netherlands compared to last year

Dutch people drank less beer in the first three months of the year than in the same period the previous year. Industry association Nederlandse Brouwers claimed this is mainly due to cold weather in the spring. The sector also said that the drop is due to increased excise tax.

Beer sales were down 2.4 percent in the first quarter of the year. Household consumption and cafe and restaurant sales both fell.

When it comes to types of beer, it was noticeable that the sales of specialty beer decreased by 1 percent, alcohol-free beer sales were down by 2 percent, and pilsner beer declined by 2 percent.

The beer market also shrank last year. Dutch people especially drank fewer mixed beers, like Radler. Sales of mixed beers dropped by 15 percent. Bad weather played a part once more in this, as people usually drink these bottles or cans of sweeter beer during sunny weather.

Nederlandse Brouwers also pointed out that the excise tax increase to an average of eight percent from January 1 this year will have had an effect. “It also seems that the strong hike in consumption tax on alcohol-free beer of almost 200 percent has had a negative effect on sales.” The association added that the excise tax rise has not been as profitable as the politicians had hoped due to declining beer sales.

“On behalf of the Tweede Kamer, the Ministry of Finance must monitor the cross-border effects of the excise tax increase,” said association chair Fred Teeven, a former politician and prosecutor.

“Especially due to the lower income from excise tax, we would be surprised if the monitoring did not show more Dutch people buying beer in Belgium and Germany. The excise taxes are much lower in those countries. We are intrigued to see which conclusions the Cabinet and the Tweede Kamer will take if it is proven that more beer is being sold over the border. The treasury is, therefore, missing out on more money.”