Return your empty beer bottles quickly to prevent problems
Let’s agree that no one at the campsite is allowed to build a wall of beer crates in front of their tent anymore, at least not with empty bottles, and that all student houses where crates of empty bottles are stacked 6×7 high immediately send a few first-years to the store with them. If we don’t all do that, there may soon be no beer for sale at all.
At least, not in bottles. And you know what that means: there’ll be a run on canned beer, which will then run out too, and before you know it a domino effect will arise that gives beer lovers sleepless nights. Because what’s the problem?
Shortages and scarcity
Because of the war in Ukraine, as well as supply problems and staff shortages since the pandemic, ‘scarcity’ looks set to become the theme of the summer. This has actually been an issue for German brewers for some time, says Johannes Rieger of Paulaner brewery in Munich, because considerably more beer is sold in summer.
German beer also popular here
In Germany, the problems are particularly urgent in many areas of the beer industry, and if you think that’s a far-from-my-bed show – I’m more than happy to pick up bottles of Paulaner and Weihenstephaner at my supermarket; they’re popular beers in the Netherlands.
According to AD, Dutch breweries are also already struggling with the same issue, although not on the same scale as German brewers: producing new container glass requires an enormous amount of energy. It consists of a mixture of sand, lime and soda, and requires a melting furnace heated to 1500° C. That naturally consumes an incredible amount of energy, and wouldn’t you know it, that’s becoming unaffordable.
Return those bottles
So one thing that can certainly help in an attempt to alleviate these problems in the Netherlands is returning your empty bottles. Cleaning them also requires energy, but less than producing new container glass. However, because of the shortages in many areas, it’s almost inevitable that everything will start hurting the beer budget.
Also read:
- 5x unusual German cheeses that deserve more fans
- Oh no: this summer, waiting for beer and food at festivals could take a very long time
- Weizen vs. witbier: what’s the difference?
Source: AD
