Germans Running out of Beer Bottles

German breweries have issued a warning stating that there may be a shortage of beer bottles this summer, citing increased production costs and a shortage of truck drivers.

The executive director of the German Brewery, Holger Eichel, told the German newspaper Bild that the situation was “extremely difficult.”

Due to inflation, breweries in new glass bottles have to pay 80% more than they did a year ago. Consequently, the value of beer also increases. One of the reasons for the deficit is the rise in energy prices, which increases the cost of producing glass bottles.

However, according to Holger Eichel, the lack of truck drivers makes it difficult to maintain the supply chain, resulting in the cost of new glass bottles almost doubling last year.

Thus, the Germans predict that the price of beer produced by them may increase by up to 30%, which is largely due to rising energy prices.

Eichel suggests that a shortage of bottles will hurt small breweries the most, as large companies typically supply first.

He said the best thing German consumers could do was return the glass bottles to retailers as quickly as possible and “do not pile up empty containers in the basement.”

Glass bottles, which are very common in Germany, are sold in small deposits and beer consumers are expected to return them to stores more actively if they buy beer at a certain discount. Tin jars, which are common in the world, are less used in Germany. Many German breweries also use special glass bottles, which are difficult to replace.