Beer consumption in the Czech Republic, the world’s largest per capita consumer drink, was severely affected by the coronavirus last year, the country’s beer body said on Tuesday.
The average annual consumption of each person in the country has been 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, the head of the union, said up to 500 pubs had been forced to close permanently, with hundreds more 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 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 helped reduce it.
Total beer production in the country fell by 6.9% to 20.1 billion liters (531 million gallons). Beer exports fell by 38 million liters to about 500 million liters, the first decrease after nine years of growth.
The Czech Republic was one of the European countries most affected by the pandemic. The nation of 10.7 million recorded more than 1.6 million COVID-19 cases and 28,640 deaths.