Poor weather in Germany has dented beer sales

In the three months to September, 2.74 billion litres (5.8 billion pints) of beer were sold, marking a drop of 210 million litres or 7.2% year-on-year.

Poor weather dented sales, as people spent less time in beer gardens, the German Brewers' Federation said.

The drop also came after strong sales in 2006, boosted by the World Cup.

Year-on-year, sales of beer are estimated to have been around 2.3% lower for the first nine months of 2007.

Peter Hahn, head of the Brewers' Federation, expressed hopes that sales would be better in 2008, notably if Germany's football team performs well in the European Championships.