England footy fans denied strong beer

England fans will have to make do with low-alcohol beers at the first game of the Euro 2024 Championships as stronger lager has been banned.

Concern from local law enforcement that the usual 4.8% ABV beer could cause issues during the game, the Veltins Arena in Gelsenkirchen has decided to only serve lower ABV products, which will be either a Bitburger radler – which is half beer and half citrus soda – or a light version of Bitburger.

The former is a 2.5% ABV variant, and the latter is a slightly higher 2.8%. In addition to only being able to get the lower alcohol products, fans can buy just two pints per purchase at the bar.

Bitburger is normally a 4.8% ABV pilsner with annual sales of 1.2 million hectolitres. It is popular throughout the areas of North Rhine Westphalia alongside the Alt beer and Kölsch which are traditionally popular in Düsseldorf and Cologne.

Only England

Speaking to The Sun, Gelsenkirchen police spokesman Stephan Knipp said: “It is just the England game which will have the low-strength beer.

“The other games at the stadium will have 4.8%.”

In addition, another police source said to the newspaper that “authorities are trying to reduce risk” with concern that issues could arise between England and Serbia fans.

As a result of this concern, there is also a drinking ban in the city centre before the evening kick-off at 8pm GMT, with England fans prohibited from downing booze in the Gelsenkirchen main square, Heinrich-Konig-Platz.

Knipp said that the square would act as a fan zone for other games being held in the city, but not for the England v Serbia clash. But he added that fans would be able to drink alcohol in the various bars in the city, as well as at another fan zone at a local racecourse.

Total ban

The situation is actually better than originally reported by db last year, when German police warned England fans they could be stopped from drinking both outside and inside the stadium at the opening fixture.

Ppolice chief Peter Both told The Mirror last December that the security team were “discussing the possibility of banning alcohol in the stadium” and that he “make(s) no secret of it”.

Although uncommon in the UK for Premier League or other football events, it can be the case that German Bundesliga matches do ban alcohol consumption at what are deemed high risk events.

Both said that the security team were “checking” what extent banning alcohol in public places could occur at the match, and they wanted to “forbid” drinking in large areas. He is now preparing plans to discuss with British police and FA bosses, he added.

Superhighway

The booze ban follows db reporting last week about the ‘beer superhighway’ at the Veltins Arena. It also doesn’t have the usual system of keg lines found in other stadiums. Instead it has a “beer superhighway” which delivers beer straight from the cellar to taps.

The five kilometres of pipeline connect to the supplying brewery, with the pump only working one way, pushing the beer into the stadium. But, in the (unlikely) event of all of the beer not being served at the game or other occasion, there is the potential to pump out the beer, and transport it back to Veltins.

According to reports, the arena can hold 52,000 litres of beer or 91,507 pints at the same time within four storage containers – two with a 16,000 litre or 28,100 pints capacity, one with 12,000 or 21,000 pints and one with 8,000 or 14,000 pints.