German beer sales up in 2006, thanks partially to World Cup

German beer sales up in 2006, thanks partially to World Cup

German breweries sold 1.4 percent more beer in 2006 than a year earlier, partially due to a hot summer and the soccer World Cup, according to a report Monday from the Federal Statistics Office.

Beer sales rose to 10.68 billion liters (23 billion pints), an increase of 140 million liters (296 million pints) over 2005 sales, the agency said.

Consumption of beer mixed with soft drinks, fruit juices and other nonalcoholic beverages saw an increase of almost 18 percent over the previous year. A total of 350 million liters (740 million pints) of such drinks were sold, 3.3 percent of total beer sales, reports AP.