“Extremely Tense” Beer Bottle Shortage Emerges Ahead Of Germany’s Oktoberfest

The world’s largest beer festival, “Oktoberfest,” situated in Munich, Germany, is four months away, and the country’s energy crisis has sparked a beer bottle shortage.

Germany is Europe’s largest manufacturing hub and faces exorbitantly high energy costs, rapid inflation, and a breakdown in supply chains, pressuring energy-intensive glass manufacturers. This economic backdrop alone could unleash stagflation.

Holger Eichele of the German Brewers’ Federation told the German newspaper Bild the beer bottle shortage would impact small- and medium-sized breweries the hardest. He described the situation as “extremely tense” as the rising cost of production and logistics problems plague breweries.

“If you don’t have long-term contracts, you currently have to pay 80% more for new glass bottles than you did a year ago. Some breweries are threatened with idling, they may soon be without bottles,” Eichele warned.

Bild found the shortage of glass bottles is due to the soaring cost of fossil fuels, such as natural gas and diesel. – READ MORE