You know what’s coming now, the old story of good intentions will be played again. No reason to get upset, it’s just part of the end of the year like five kilograms of raclette cheese on your hips, visions of the future cast in lead and a headache on January 1st.
Speaking of headaches. This supposed inevitability can easily be remedied with good intentions. For example, you could reduce your own beer consumption. Anyone who now objects that this would be an attack on the Bavarian economy should consider the following case – instead of another half:
A year ago, the police in the Kelheim district busted several beer drivers and a warehouse clerk who were suspected of stealing a lot of beer from their employer. Now the Regensburg public prosecutor’s office has as the Central Bavarian newspaper reported, completed her investigation and has some amazing things to report. Over four years, the men are said to have diverted 7,200 crates of beer from a well-known Abensberg brewery. That alone is worth reporting. But it gets even better. Some of the beer is said to have been resold, but it was apparently also stolen to cover personal needs.
Attention, now comes a bit of math, but with a hangover it’s even worse than before, so it’s better now: In a box of beer like this there are usually 20 bottles with half a liter each, so that’s ten liters per box. With 7,200 crates of beer allegedly stolen in four years, the four suspects had around 450 crates per person per year at their disposal. That’s around 4,500 liters of beer per person per year.
Now some of the stolen beer is said to have been resold. But 4500 liters is a lot, there is still something left over after resale. Or? And if you now look at the average beer consumption per person in Germany in comparison, you can see that, according to the Bavarian Brewers’ Association, it is around 90 liters per year and one could already speculate that the suspects’ own consumption may well exceed this average value.
If you now remember how important beer is for the Bavarian economy, for Bavarian customs and Bavarian identity in general – then you can see or recognize a certain level of commitment on the part of the four gentlemen. If they hadn’t stolen it!
In their defense it should be said: The beer from the brewery in question is also very good. But back to the good resolutions: Maybe switch to non-alcoholic beer every now and then in the new year. And above all, don’t steal it!