Beer consumption in the Czech Republic, the largest per capita consumer of the beverage in the world, was severely affected by the coronavirus last year, the country’s beer body said on Tuesday.
The amount consumed annually on average by each person in the country was reduced by 7 liters (14.8 pints) to 135 liters (285 pints), said the Czech Brewers Union.
It is the lowest figure since the 1960s, according to the union.
Frantisek Samal, head of the union, said that up to 500 pubs were forced to close permanently, with hundreds more expected to follow suit this year.
“I don’t remember a time when pubs and restaurants were in such a crisis,” Samal said.
Bars and restaurants were closed for months after the pandemic hit the country in March last year, while a ban on drinking alcohol in public and the cancellation of sporting, cultural and other events also contributed to the drop.
Total beer production in the country fell 6.9% to 20.1 billion liters (531 million gallons). Beer exports fell by 38 million liters to about 500 million liters, the first drop after nine years of growth.
The Czech Republic has been one of the European countries most affected by the pandemic. The nation of 10.7 million has recorded more than 1.6 million COVID-19 cases and 28,640 deaths.
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