Italian beer production reached 17.6 million hectolitres (hl) in 2021, surpassing both 2019's (17.3 million hl) and 2020's (15.8 million hl) figures. The figures come from the 2021 Annual Report of Assobirra, the association of Italian beer and malt makers. Exports, amounting to 3.8 million hl, were also higher than in 2019 (3.5 million) and 2020 (3.3 million).

Export Markets

Italian beer confirmed its popularity even in countries with a strong brewing tradition such as the UK, which accounted for 46.9% of Italian beer exports, the USA (8.6%) and Australia (6.4%). Imports dropped compared to the pre-pandemic period to 7 million hl in 2021, down from 7.4 million in 2019.