We have to swallow these prices: Due to the Ukraine war and Corona, the half is up to 50 cents more expensive

Created: 03/28/2022, 05:36

By: Julian Limmer

The beer is getting more expensive © Peter Kneffel/dpa

Now that the beer garden season is starting again in Munich, the beer could be significantly more expensive.

In recent months, prices have already risen by up to 50 cents per half.

Walter König (54), Managing Director of the Bavarian Brewers' Association, lists several reasons for a beer price increase: "Hops, malt, bottle caps, cans, pallets and even the paper for the labels - we have extreme price increases everywhere." Ukraine* prices have increased noticeably again.

Because around eleven percent of the global wheat comes from there.

Because of the Russian invasion, ports remain closed, agriculture is idle, so grain exports are also falling.

Munich breweries have to cope with increased costs

Most of the Munich* breweries do not source the ingredients from the Ukraine, but from Germany - but because the supply of barley, wheat and co. is becoming scarcer worldwide due to the war, prices are also rising here in Germany.

Since the beginning of the war, the costs have risen from around 500 euros to 680 euros per ton of brewing malt - the price was already at a high level due to the poor harvest in 2021.

You can already feel that with Erdinger Weißbräu: “The trade in barley in particular has been massively affected,” the company reports.

After all, almost all breweries have long-term supply contracts for malt, with fixed prices over a certain period of time.

But that could change in the long term.

"If I recalculate the price of beer based on the current prices of the ingredients, a crate would have to be around 45 cents more expensive," says Walter König.

But it's not just the malt price.

"The glass for our bottles has become more than 20 percent more expensive," says Hofbräu, for example.

Ascending trend.

Because a large glass supplier in the Ukraine is also out of action: This leads to a global shortage and thus to higher prices.

"If you take all these factors into account, then the box would have to be three euros more expensive," says König.

It won't be that bad though.

But even if the situation in Ukraine were to ease: "Then prices will probably still be well above the level before the crisis."

In the list on the left you can see the change for half a beer in selected Munich inns.

© MM

Munich host spokesman: "We have no more leeway!"

Erdinger does not rule out a price increase either.

And Hofbräu announces that it was only in February that the price per box was raised by around one euro.

However, the current price increases have not yet been fully taken into account.

Breweries such as Augustiner Paulaner, Löwenbräu and Spaten and Giesinger did not want to comment on possible price increases.

If the prices rise, this would also have an impact on Munich's gastronomy: "We would probably have to pass on higher beer prices to our customers," says Gregor Lemke, spokesman for the Munich city center innkeepers.

"Because of Corona, we have just come out of a valley of drought!

We have no more leeway!” JULIAN LIMMER

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