Virus outbreak threatens Germany’s tradition-laden breweries

WERNECK, Germany (AP) — The Werneck Brewery in Germany’s Bavaria region goes back 400 years but is succumbing to the virus outbreak. Its best customers are restaurants and festivals, which are shut down in the lockdown caused by the pandemic. German brewers fear it’s the leading edge of more closings. The outbreak poses an existential threat to Germany’s small breweries, many of which are family-owned and hundreds of years old. They are community institutions whose buildings and affiliated taverns are regional landmarks in a country where the hometown brew is often a sentimental favorite despite competition from national and international brands.