Spain: Spain becomes second-biggest beer producer in Europe but craft beer output drops 20%

Spanish breweries with annual production capacity of less than 50,000hl a year produced 20% less beer in 2022 than pre-pandemic, according to a new report.

The Socioeconomic Report of the Beer Sector in Spain 2022, co-published by trade body Cerveceros de España and the country’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, also said there were 35% fewer small breweries in the country than in 2019, without disclosing exact figures.

In total, production by brewers with less than 50,000hl annual capacity dropped by 3% in 2022, as did the number of breweries in this segment versus the year prior.

“It has not been a good year for breweries with productions of less than 50,000 hl, as a 3% drop has been observed, both in production and in the number of breweries,” the report stated. “For this segment, the reactivation of consumption in the hospitality industry is especially important, since this is the main channel of commercialisation and consumption of craft beer.”

The reduction means that craft and independent brewers (defined as those producing less than 50,000hl annually) made up just 0.14% of Spain’s total beer production in 2022.

Elsewhere in the report, it was revealed on-premise beer consumption rose by 32% versus the year prior, with 38.95m hectolitres sold via the channel. Some 59% of beer sold in 2022 was consumed in hospitality settings, as pubs, bars and restaurants sought to bounce back from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

However, the trend of drinking at home persisted, with 41% of beer sold in 2022 drunk at home, compared with 32% in the pre-pandemic year of 2019.

Production, meanwhile, increased to 41.1m hectolitres, as Spain surpassed Poland to become the second biggest beer-producing country in Europe, behind Germany.

Exports of Spanish-produced beer increased by 13.4%, to 4.2m hectolitres. Compared with 2019, the volume of beer exported by the country has risen by 36.8%. Portugal remains the main export market, importing 28% of total exports. The UK, meanwhile, accounts for 13% of all Spanish beer sold abroad.

“Last year we faced new challenges, including a war, which brutally and starkly affects those who suffer it in Europe and with a domino effect on the economy and productive sectors globally,” Jacobo Olalla Marañón, director general of Cerveceros de España, said. “Despite this, it was a good beer year in Spain in general terms: we have become the second largest producer in the EU, only behind Germany.

“The desire to turn the page on the pandemic and the recovery of tourism, an essential sector for our economy, contributed to this despite inflation and uncertainty. Also the entrepreneurial spirit of the Spanish breweries, which have managed to increase exports for another year.

“However, it has not been an easy year for the craft segment, which has not managed to recover global production levels prior to 2019.”

Last month, Spanish beer market leader Mahou San Miguel revealed plans to invest €45m ($49.4m) in improvements at its factory in the country’s Andalusian region.

The new investment plan will allow the company to undertake a comprehensive renovation of the brewery as well as significant improvements to its returnable and non-returnable packaging lines.

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