Which Nice Classification Class Is Beer In?

Beer falls under Class 32 — a class it shares with soft drinks, mineral water, and fruit juices, not with other alcoholic beverages. This is a genuinely common mistake, since beer is obviously alcoholic and Class 33 is literally "alcoholic beverages."

Why beer is the exception

Nice Classification's Class 33 heading explicitly excludes beer: it covers "alcoholic beverages except beer" — wine, spirits, and liqueurs. Beer was grouped into Class 32 under the international classification system, alongside other beverages, rather than with wine and spirits. It's a historical quirk of the classification rather than a logical one, but it's consistently applied, and filing beer under Class 33 by mistake is a real risk if you go by intuition alone.

What this means in practice

• Beer, including craft and flavored beer → Class 32
• Wine, whisky, rum, gin, vodka, brandy, and liqueurs → Class 33
• Soft drinks, packaged water, and juices → Class 32 (same class as beer, different product)

If your business sells both beer and other alcoholic beverages under the same brand — a brewery that also produces spirits, for instance — you'd need both Class 32 and Class 33 to cover the full range.

For the rest of the beverage and food classes, see our Nice Classification guide, or get a starting suggestion for your specific product with the Nice Classification Finder.

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