Regis Philbin
Apr 25th, 2007, 07:10 PM
Uh-oh... OK, Germany, is it going to be the planet...or BEER?
I think the Germans will choose...BEER. :D
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,2451025,00.html
Germany's Cheap Beer Tradition Under Threat From Biofuels
The popularity of biofuels is affecting the price of Germany's most cherished beverage
Germans will have to dig deeper in their pockets to enjoy their beloved beer in the next few months as barley is increasingly displaced in the country's fields by heavily subsidized crops used for biofuels.
"Many brewers have no choice but to raise their prices," said Kai Schuerholt, a spokesman for the German brewers' association. "They decided not to pass on the three-percentage point rise in value-added tax that came into force in Germany on Jan. 1, but in this case they have no alternative."
The German arm of Belgian brewer InBev, which owns the Beck's and Franziskaner brands, confirmed it would be implementing "slight" price rises, while Germany's Radeberger said it was considering a similar move.
It is hard to overstate the importance of beer in Germany -- it is drunk in vast quantities and the market is fiercely competitive and extremely price-sensitive.
Munich's Oktoberfest is one big beer-drinking party.
A half-liter (one pint) glass currently costs as little as three euros (four dollars) in a bar or restaurant, a price that makes drinkers in most other western European countries green with envy.
Average daily consumption of beer in Germany last year was 111.6 liters per head, equivalent to every one of the country's 82 million people drinking a 0.31-liter glass every day, according to figures released on Friday.
I think the Germans will choose...BEER. :D
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,2451025,00.html
Germany's Cheap Beer Tradition Under Threat From Biofuels
The popularity of biofuels is affecting the price of Germany's most cherished beverage
Germans will have to dig deeper in their pockets to enjoy their beloved beer in the next few months as barley is increasingly displaced in the country's fields by heavily subsidized crops used for biofuels.
"Many brewers have no choice but to raise their prices," said Kai Schuerholt, a spokesman for the German brewers' association. "They decided not to pass on the three-percentage point rise in value-added tax that came into force in Germany on Jan. 1, but in this case they have no alternative."
The German arm of Belgian brewer InBev, which owns the Beck's and Franziskaner brands, confirmed it would be implementing "slight" price rises, while Germany's Radeberger said it was considering a similar move.
It is hard to overstate the importance of beer in Germany -- it is drunk in vast quantities and the market is fiercely competitive and extremely price-sensitive.
Munich's Oktoberfest is one big beer-drinking party.
A half-liter (one pint) glass currently costs as little as three euros (four dollars) in a bar or restaurant, a price that makes drinkers in most other western European countries green with envy.
Average daily consumption of beer in Germany last year was 111.6 liters per head, equivalent to every one of the country's 82 million people drinking a 0.31-liter glass every day, according to figures released on Friday.