Norway: June beer sales boosted by 7.6% year-on-year

Norway Bryggeriforeningen (nationwide brewers' association) said Norwegians chugged 251,000 hl of beer in June. That's quite a bit in a country of just 4.5 million people, and where a glass of beer in a bar or restaurant can cost the equivalent of more than USD 10, Aftenposten communicated July 11.

Overall beer sales were up 7.6 percent compared with June of last year.

Sales of beer in six-pack half-liter cans jumped 30 percent compared to June 2005. Alcohol-free beer also was more popular than last year, with sales up 27.4 percent. Beer sales through the first six months of the year were also up, by 4.4 percent, compared to the first-half of last year.

The brewery association also thinks that beer sales were boosted by the World Cup for soccer, as fans gathered in bars or private homes to watch it over a mug or two. Warm, sunny weather in June clearly helped too.

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