Breweries by production output

For many years, Switzerland was a wine-producing country. Breweries were hardly able to gain a foothold in the Confederacy. After the Carolingian dynasty and a revival in brewery activities in and around monasteries during the Middle Ages, beer brewing scraped by as a marginal activity. When beer was brewed on a larger scale, it mostly involved German breweries or demanding German consumers. That is why, in the 17th century, Bavarian postal workers working for Bernese postal pioneer Beat von Fischer finally pressed for their favourite drink to be sold, otherwise threatening to go on strike. As a result, Beat von Fischer established a brewery in his Castle Reichenbach, which continued to operate until 1971.

In general, beer tended to be of poor quality until the 19th century, mainly because the fermentation process was not properly understood and because it was much more expensive than producing wine. There was also a shortage of suitable arable areas to cultivate brewing barley, while the many slopes by lakes and rivers benefited viticulture.

The turnaround came with the second half of the 19th century, when beer was successfully produced at a steady rate and on an industrial scale. The expansion of the railway network enabled the appropriate raw materials to be brought in, particularly brewing barley. The discovery of artificial cooling, inspired by a brewer from Munich, finally allowed beer to be brewed even on hot days and meant it could be stored for some time. Before, paradoxically, it was either very difficult or completely impossible to get beer on hot days at the height of summer. Natural ice reserves and deep mountain cellars had to be used.

At the same time in the late 19th century, viticulture fell into a deep crisis, because grape diseases were destroying entire vineyards. Prices rose substantially. As some wine had been watered down in desperation, the reputation of Swiss wine had also taken a severe hit.

This meant that wine and lower quality schnapps were stored, giving way to beer. This was especially the case as the workforce expanded, bringing about industrialisation. In academic circles, beer suddenly became a fashionable drink, especially as part of student life. The countless patriotic celebrations at the time brought about increased alcohol consumption, increasing the popularity of both wine and beer.

The number of breweries increased from around 150 in 1850 to over 400 in the 1880s. However, industrial brewing and improved logistics resulted in overproduction. Breweries without enough regular customers and with high running costs no longer stood a chance. World War I and the lack of raw material supplies accelerated the downfall of breweries, with just 59 left by the 1930s. The beer cartel established in 1935 stabilised the market, but the crisis in the 1970s further reduced the number of breweries to just 32 by the time the cartel broke down around 1990. The subsequent renaissance in small breweries means that there are now almost 500 breweries in Switzerland again, although the majority only operate as secondary enterprises. The beer plants of major foreign corporations have the largest market share, including Carlsberg (Feldschlösschen and Valaisanne brands) and Heineken (Eichhof and Calanda brands).

Consumption per person reached a record of 84 litres in the year 1911, compared to 36 litres in 1883. After a dip to around 60 litres in the inter-war period, it increased to 71 litres again by 1991. It is currently hovering at around 57 litres per year. Beer exports never played a significant role in Switzerland (apart from alcohol-free beers). The proportion of imported beer for domestic consumption – especially cheap canned beer – is around 25% today.