Alcoholic beverages are sold everywhere in Germany, but access to them is not allowed for everyone
According to a 2018 report by the World Health Organization (WHO), alcohol consumption per capita in Germany is above the European average and is declining more slowly compared to other European countries. According to Deutsche Welle, the average German drinks 11.4 liters of pure alcohol per year, according to the WHO. The average European consumes 8.6 liters of alcohol over the same period. Lithuania leads the WHO alcohol ranking for 2018, with its residents drinking an average of 15.2 liters of pure alcohol per year.
The WHO recommends introducing minimum prices for alcoholic beverages, restricting their sale and advertising, and placing health warnings on bottles as measures to reduce alcohol consumption among the population.
Germany has a whole set of rules regulating the sale and public consumption of alcohol. Some apply to residents of the entire country, while others are in effect in individual federal states.
For example, Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria initially introduced and then again lifted a ban on the sale of alcohol at gas stations and in stores after 10 p.m. In Bavaria, alcohol at gas stations was allowed to be sold only to drivers, in order to further limit alcohol consumption by local residents who suddenly wanted a drink at night.
A law regulating minors' access to alcohol applies throughout Germany. Age restrictions regulate both the sale of alcoholic beverages and their consumption in public places. Violation of the rules and regulations by the alcohol seller is punishable by fines of up to 50,000 euros and can even lead to imprisonment.
German law divides alcohol sold into two large groups. One includes beer, wine, sparkling wines, and mixtures of wine with non-alcoholic beverages. The second group includes all other alcohol, including vodka, rum, whiskey, and liqueurs, alcoholic cocktails, and even candies containing distilled alcohol. The main thing in this classification is not the concentration, but the type of alcohol.
Teenagers in Germany can buy and consume alcohol from the first group, i.e., wine and beer, from the age of 16. Drinking wine and beer in public places is allowed from the age of 14, but only in the presence and with the consent of parents or legal guardians. Age restrictions on the sale and consumption of alcohol apply in Germany unchanged even during entertainment events like "all-inclusive," where alcoholic beverages are included in the entrance fee.
German law allows the sale of strong alcoholic beverages, as well as their consumption in public places, only to adults, i.e., from the age of 18, when full civil capacity begins. Therefore, in German supermarkets, all schnapps and brandies are usually kept in locked glass display cases.
German law allows alcoholic beverages in vending machines only if these beverages are inaccessible to children and adolescents. The supplier must either ensure this technically (for example, by checking the chip of bank cards) or place the vending machine in a place inaccessible to children and adolescents. However, selling distilled alcoholic beverages through vending machines is prohibited.