Belgian beer exports down 5%

According to the latest annual report of the Belgian Brewers federation, 2013 was a year to forget, with Belgian beer exports down 5%. Belgians drank less beer than in 2012, continuing the downward consumption trend of recent years. Exports were hit particularly badly, especially within the European Union where less Belgian beer was sold overall, reports De Tijd.

It wasn’t all doom and gloom with sales figures for the US, South Korea and China showing significant growth. But the general picture was a negative one for 2013. The federation’s director Sven Gatz said: “We did have to contend with some exceptional circumstances, such as the tax increase in France. But if this scenario repeats itself in 2014, then we can definitely talk about a trend.”