Europeans are drinking less beer. Heineken’s Europe boss has a plan to avoid a brewing hangover

Bottles in a filling line at Heineken's factory in Mons-en-Barul, northern France on September 1, 2026. (Credit: Getty images)

This summer was a bright moment for Europe’s brewers. Hot weather and the FIFA World Cup packed out beer gardens, and in Britain, the night that England beat Panama was pubs’ busiest of the year, with card transactions five times the daily average, according to Barclays.

But behind the sunny terraces, a longer slump has been brewing. European consumers drink less beer than they did before the pandemic. Consumption fell 3.2% in 2025 and is down 9.2% since 2019, according to a report by the industry trade body Brewers of Europe.