ANALYSIS OF REASONS FOR BEER CONSUMPTION DROP IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC

According to the Czech Beer and Malt Association statistics, the Czechs have been reducing their beer consumption. Last year, each Czech citizen drank on average 134 litres of beer, which puts the Czechs on the first place with the Irish being second. Yet in 1995 beer consumption reached 160 litres. Average weekly half-litre portions consumed by males dropped from 9.5 in 2007 to 7.7 in 2010. For women this figure is stable and on average it is 2 half-litre portions per week. At the same time, there is a drop in beer-drinking frequency and the number of beer consumers in the Czech population. Reasons are commented by Jan Vesel˘, executive director of the Czech Beer
and Malt Association, rather simply: “Trend in the drop of beer consumption is a logical consequence of several phenomena. Firstly, long-term changes in population lifestyle, pressure from employers to use working hours in more efficient manner and, last but not least, the fact that great beer-lover generation is slowly fading.”
Based on his long-term involvement in the brewery industry and continuous research in this field, the author of the article has divided the reasons for beer consumption drop into two factors, inner and outer. The most important outer factors can be seen in an increase of excise tax on beer, military service being not obligatory anymore, alcohol checks of workers in the workplace, especially professional drivers, a lower number of tourists, a partial decline in beer drinking in the young generation, a low number of regular beer drinkers in towns and the country, an increased margin for tap beer in restaurants and pubs and the use of taps with a compensator as well. Among the most important inner factors are pricing policy of breweries, efforts of breweries owners to maximize their profits, marketing concentrated mainly on males visiting pubs regularly, individual beer imports from neighbouring countries although without any statistical facts, beer quality
unification, i.e., “Euro-beer” production. Whereas the production of large breweries has been decreasing, the production of microbreweries has been growing, often offering accommodation and catering services as well.