Beer prices have risen sharply since the coronavirus pandemic – consumption in Western Europe is falling

8 August 2025

Data from Statistics Netherlands (CBS) show that the price of lager in the Netherlands has risen by 41.6% since the coronavirus crisis. Before the pandemic, the annual increase was only one or a few percent, and in some years the price even fell.

The rise in the price of lager since June 2020 is in part due to an excise duty increase in 2024, which added 1 cent to the tax on a bottle of lager with 5% ABV. The price increase was mainly due to higher personnel costs, higher energy costs, and higher grain prices. Geopolitical uncertainty and the new import tariffs imposed by the United States are also contributing factors.

All of this is leading to lower volumes of lager in Western Europe for major European brewers such as AB InBev, Heineken, and Carlsberg.

However, price is not the only cause of declining beer consumption. Less beer is also being consumed because consumers are increasingly concerned about their health. The fact that alcohol can cause cancer, even in moderate amounts, certainly contributes to this. Moreover, there are far more beverage options than there were ten years ago, such as hard seltzers and alcohol-free beer.

Sources: fd.nl en cbs.nl.

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