German Breweries Are Forced to Adapt as Gen Z Goes Alkoholfrei

Over the course of its 172-year-history, the Lang-Bräu brewery in the north of Bavaria has weathered two world wars and the fall of the Iron Curtain, whose defenses once stood less than thirty minutes away. But money troubles in recent years proved more than the small operation could handle. Facing €12 million ($13.9 million) in costs for much-needed upgrades, the owners decided last summer to shut everything down.

“Breweries are capable of incredible suffering,” said Richard Hopf, who led the family business and is now overseeing its closure. “But when sales fall and costs keep going up, it leaves little room for long-term considerations.”