"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.
