The production of beer, cider and other fermentation drinks is growing
Against the background of the continuing decrease in the production of strong alcohol in January -May 2025, the spill of fermentation drinks, including beer, beer drinks, cider, pora, mead, in general, increased by 3.9% a year to 372 million decalpers. This was also facilitated by a sharp reduction in imports from the European Union as a result of an increase in import duties, as well as the entrance of the market after the start of active marking at the end of last year.
In January – May 2025, the production of fermentation drinks increased by 3.9% of the year, to 372.04 million decalits (DAL), follows from the Kommersant’s disposal of the Rosalkolletabakcontrol data (RADK). The release of beer with a fortress to 8.6%increased by 2.4%, gave to 317.25 million, beer drinks – by 13.1%, gave up to 49.2 million. The production of cider, pora and meads increased by 16.2%. The production of meads increased most of all – by 20%, gave up to 1.28 million, and the cider – by 15.1%, gave up to 3.89 million. The fall showed only beer by a fortress above 8.6% – its spill decreased by 6.5%, to 33.1 thousand.
Until January 2025, an active ascending trend was observed, which began in September 2023, states the director of interaction with the authorities of AB InBEV EFES (brands « Klinskoye », Abbe) Vyacheslav Efimov. According to him, this was due to the circumvention of the industry after the implementation of the marking, as well as a number of initiatives to combat unaccounted alcohol turnover and nasalvays. “The growth of the industry this year is, first of all, the effect of the entrance of the market,” says Vyacheslav Mamontov, the executive director of the Association of Producers of Beer, Solod and drinks.
Now, despite the positive dynamics in the market, a slowdown is already observed, which is due to an unscheduled increase in excise tax rate, Mr. Mamontov points out.
Since the beginning of 2025, this fee for beer with a fortress of 0.5% to 8.6% increased to 30 rubles. for 1 liter against 26 rubles. previously. In this regard, the expert does not exclude the onset of stagnation in the industry in the future.
The growth of beer production is now due to the replacement of imported products that have been noticeably rise in price after the increase in import duties since January 2025, says Igor Khavsky, co -owner of the SVAM Group distributor and Gletcher brewery. Since the beginning of 2025, the rate for importing beer from unfriendly countries has grown ten times, to € 1 per 1 liter of the drink. As previously reported by RIA Novosti with reference to the data of the Eurostat, in January 2025, 4.04 thousand tons of beer were imported from the European Union in the Russian Federation, which is 3.8 times less than a month for a month.
The current growth in the release of cider, Poire and meads is largely caused by a low base, notes Alexander Khavsky.
Also, he adds, this is due to the already marked tendency to reduce the consumption of strong alcohol in favor of drinks with low alcohol or non -alcoholic products. At the same time, there is a transition of consumers to taste drinks, what are sidr or mead, the expert states. With the same reason, a decrease in the production of beer by a fortress above 8.6%is associated, Mr. Khavsky states.
The category also grows due to the migration of low -alcohol cocktails in it, says Vyacheslav Mamontov. Earlier, many manufacturers began to abandon alcohol cocktails due to an almost four-fold increase in excise taxes on them last year and to produce their products under the guise of beer (See “Kommersant” from February 8). As the Shopper’s industry publication reported with reference to two manufacturers of such products, RATK already demanded that companies stop such a practice.
By the end of the current year, when the production is fully legalized, the effect of the marking will be exhausted, and probably, the sales and production of beer and other drinks will begin, as is now happening with strong alcohol, the head of the Center for the Development of National Alcohol Policy Pavel Shapkin predicts. According to the RADK, the sales of strong alcoholic beverages (with the exception of beer, beer drinks, cider, Poire and meads) were reduced by 20.4%in the first five months of the current year, and gave to 59.95 million. Mr. Shapkin connects this with a complex of factors: a sharp rise in the cost of beer in the beginning of 2025, a difficult economic situation in the country, the transition of youth to soft drinks, as well as an intensifying struggle with nasal).
As reported by Kommersant on March 10at the beginning of 2025, many manufacturers raised rental prices for beer by an average of 10-15%. According to the estimates of the Nielsen analytical company, in January -April of this year, natural beer sales increased by 2.3% of the year, and cash – by 20.3%. The share of beer in the structure of sales of all alcohol in monetary terms is 41.3%.
