From Moon of Alabama blog:
I’m sure I’m not the only barfly fond of excellent beer, which is also pricy suds. One of the economic casualties within Europe is the German Brewery Industry where very longstanding brewers are declaring bankruptcy and closing forever. Here’s an article listing some of the carnage:
The decline of the traditional German brewing industry shows no signs of slowing down. Recently, several breweries have filed for bankruptcy or closed permanently, resulting in the loss of centuries-old brewing traditions.The latest victims are the Gambrinus Brewery in Weiden, Upper Palatinate, and the Gesellschaftsbrauerei Viechtach, about 100 km southeast. Both are located in the Bavarian border region with the Czech Republic, an area often described as structurally weak.
The nearly 100-year-old Gambrinus Brewery filed for insolvency on Friday at the Weiden District Court due to unpaid bills and outstanding wages. The brewery’s decline is attributed to rising costs, pandemic-related sales losses, and internal issues, with current production at around 15,000 hl, half its peak output.
On Thursday, it was announced that the insolvent Gesellschaftsbrauerei Viechtach would close permanently after nearly 500 years, ceasing production. Despite intensive negotiations, no investors were willing to continue operations. Remaining employees have been let go, and the Viechtacher brand will continue to be produced at the nearby Hofmark Brewery in Loifling, located in the Cham district of the Upper Palatinate.
Last month, the 672-year-old Karmeliter-Bräu from Salz near Bad Neustadt an der Saale (about 75 km northeast of Würzburg) permanently closed its doors. The brand and distribution rights were acquired by Oettinger Brewery, one of Germany’s largest brewery groups, mainly active in the entry-level segment (inside.beer, 10.6.2024). It is speculated that the brand, named after a monastic order, will be used to establish the group in the higher-priced segment, similar to other well-known brands like Trappist, Augustiner, Paulaner, Franziskaner, Benediktiner, and Kapuziner.
The problem with the “higher-priced segment” is that its customer base needs a high income to purchase their products. Beer lovers within the Empire well know the differences between the so-called micro-brews and major brands like Coors, Bud and Miller–it’s both price and quality. Frankly, once you’ve tasted good beer, you’ll find the mass-produced swill–well, swill. But that means paying 3-5X the price–I remember well when I could barely afford Keystone.
The beer industry’s depression is but one sector of the European economy that’s dying–VW, Audi, and other auto makers are dying. And the EU can’t save them by placing US-level tariffs on Chinese EVs. Clearly, EU policy is destroying national economies; so, we should anticipate nations leaving the economic-death causing EU and NATO so they can formulate their own policies again, which means no longer supporting NATO/Outlaw US Empire Imperialism and related policies. Last I heard from Putin, Russia remains willing to sell gas to Europe through Russia’s pipelines.
Posted by: karlof1 | Sep 19 2024 15:35 utc | 11
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