Oktoberfest Beer Shortage Looms In Germany

Beer brewers in Munich may not be able to supply enough beer for the annual Oktoberfest Beer Festival, local newspaper Munich TZ reported, but the problem is not a lack of the alcoholic beverage.
 
Instead, a manager at the Paulaner and Hacker-Pschorr brewery told TZ, brewers do not have enough bottles to supply the festival. He called on drinkers to return their empties.
Warm summer weather combined with popular festivals led to a sharp increase in consumption in the city.
 
Brewers wash and reuse their bottles up to 50 times and rely on their customers to turn return them, but that hasn't happened quickly enough this time and is preventing beermakers from building up the required supplies.
 
(NBC News)