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Brewers Celebrate Economic Gains of World Cup

If you could take a wild guess at which German industry likely saw an increase in profits thanks to Germany?s having hosted the 2006 World Cup, which ended on Sunday, which industry would you choose? The German auto industry does pretty well for itself at home and overseas. Inside Germany, there were reports that legal brothels weren?t getting all of the business they thought they would. But the beer industry ? well, if you?d guessed that the German brewing industry has seen a significant rise in profits thanks to the world?s biggest sporting event of the moment?you?d likely be correct.

German brewers have seen sales slide in recent years, and this year that trend may have been ? however temporarily ? reversed, with some estimated revenues to be taken in by the German beer industry as high as $8 billion euros, or $10.2 billion. Soccer fans are rarely the kind of spectators to spurn a good beer, and the influx of World Cup tourism has led to German brewers taxing their resources, sometimes to the limit, in trying to meet the demands of an international clientele with varied tastes and economic abilities.

But it isn?t only the foreign visitors who are aiding the German brewing industry at the moment, Germans, already known for their ability to brew and drink their own concoctions, have cheered on their national soccer team throughout the tournament, up through this last weekend?s third-place finisher win against Portugal, and they?ve done so largely in bars. Foreign drinkers have likely been an influence as well, spurring Germans to go out and get sloshed as sort of a vacation from the norm. Whether the German beer industry will see profits fall in the wake of the World Cup remains to be seen, but for the moment brewers can enjoy the spectacle along with their customers ? without worries.