A beer mug costs more than before and it is believed that corona infections will increase with the big national celebration.
Corona has disciplined beer lovers in Germany, where the world’s largest beer festival Oktoberfest, organized in the Bavarian region, has not been held during the pandemic.
Today, Saturday, after a three-year hiatus, the leather pants crowd has enthusiastically gathered in Munich for good food, wild music and, of course, above all, frothy beer.
Prime Minister of Bavaria Markus Söder was happy that after two Oktoberfests canceled due to corona restrictions, the traditional celebration can be celebrated again.
Söder had previously admitted in a newspaper interview that corona infections will probably increase with Oktoberfest. However, he added that we are now in a “new phase” with the coronavirus, and the capacity of hospitals is not being tested.
In previous years, about six million people have participated in Oktoberfest, which lasts more than two weeks.
– We have two or three difficult years behind us, and no one knows exactly what this winter will be like. We need a little joie de vivre and strength now, Söder said at the opening of the event.
The price of beer has gone up
However, the realities of the world overshadow even this celebration of joy. Russia’s attack on Ukraine and galloping inflation are reflected in the price of pints of beer.
A liter pint of beer costs 12.60–13.80 euros at Oktoberfest this year. According to the festival organizers, it means a 15 percent increase compared to 2019, when the party was held last time.
The background is the increase in beer production costs and the price of raw materials. Energy and grain prices have famously risen, but so have the costs of glass bottles and even bottle caps and labels.
– It takes a lot of energy to brew and cool the beer. At the same time, raw materials such as barley malt and hops are needed, the purchase price of which has increased, says the chief technician of Munich’s Hofbräu brewery Sebastian Utz.
Joy can still win in the end at a festival organized since the 19th century, the return of which is a cause for great joy for many.
– This is a dream. After such a long abstinence, here again in the beer tent. Dream, set the mood Christoph Tuerock over a pint in Munich.
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