Mayor of Munich Dieter Reiter is set to open the city’s first-ever alcohol-free beer garden. Die Null will exclusively sell non-alcoholic drinks.

Die Null alcohol-free Biergarten opens in Munich

A stone's throw away from the central train station, Die Null, Munich’s first-ever alcohol-free beer garden, will be opened by city mayor Dieter Reiter (SPD) on July 18.

Thirsty customers with bock auf Bier will be limited to non-alcoholic brews. Other beverages served, such as wine, ciders and cocktails will also be alcohol-free.

Speaking to Süddeutsche Zeitung, the project founders said that Die Null would otherwise be a German beer garden “in a completely traditional sense”. The location will also host concerts and dances throughout the summer.

More Germans are choosing alcohol-free beer

The opening of Die Null corresponds to a wider trend: Germany’s increasing penchant for alcohol-free beers.

In September 2023, figures from the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) revealed that the production of non-alcoholic beer, which contains less than 0,5 percent alcohol, has nearly doubled in the past decade. 

The German Brewers’ Association (DBB) reports that shoppers can now choose from 700 non-alcoholic beer brands available in German supermarkets - double the number that were available on sale in 2010.

But compared to its European neighbours, Germany is still considered a “high consumption” country in terms of drinking habits. According to Federal Drugs Commissioner Burkhard Blienert (SPD), the annual average pure alcohol consumption in Germany is 10 litres per person. 8 million people in Germany are considered to drink a risky amount of alcohol and between 1,6 and 1,8 million are considered alcoholics.

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