This year, the beer price will break through another invisible barrier – the 9€ mark. Depending on tent and brewery, a “Mass”, a liter of beer, will cost you between 8.70€ and 9.20€. Last year’s most expensive beer cost you 8.90€.
The tent owners and breweries state that costs like erecting and maintaining the tents have gone up, just like the wages for the workers. Critics, as every year, respond to that with the argument, that the breweries already make an immense profit from the beer tents at the Oktoberfest and that they could still do just fine without raising the beer price every year.
An important thing to know is that the city of Munich doesn’t have much of a say when it comes to the beer price at the Oktoberfest. The breweries set a certain price, about which the city of Munich is then informed. The only thing the city of Munich does, is to check, whether this price is adequate or not. This is done by comparing the Oktoberfest beer price to what you pay for your beer in other places in Munich. Usually, you would pay between 6.60€ and 8.80€ for a liter of beer somewhere else in Munich – but without the special Oktoberfest atmosphere in a specially erected beer tent or the free brass band to entertain you.
Also guests, who won’t drink any beer, will be affected by the rise in prices, as non-alcoholic beverages will get more expensive, too: A liter of water will cost you around 7€ instead of 6.80€ last year.
