I stand corrected. You can buy a liter of all-grain, full-flavored beer for less than you’d pay for a liter of gas.
Here’s proof, a photo taken at a small grocery store in Wertheim, Germany (at the junction of the Main and Tauber rivers, and with terrific castle ruins).
Beer is .66 euro (or less) for .5L. That’s 1.32 euro if you bought two (in other words a liter). The cheapest we’ve seen gas for is 1.39 for a liter of diesel (the cheapest gas in Germany, as opposed to the silly flip-flop in the U.S. where diesel costs more).
In 1982, beer was cheaper than milk for sure, and just a bit cheaper than soda pop. Odd that fuel enters the equation now, but I guess this is 2008.
Watermelons from Rocky Ford, Colorado were selling for $80 about 2 weeks ago in Tokyo, Japan.
What’s up with the diesel/gas fuel price flop?
I’m told the diesel/gas flip-flop in the U.S. is about refinery capacity. The U.S. refineries built to produce more gasoline than diesel; now people want diesel (lot of diesel pickup trucks on the road these days) and the refinery capacity isn’t there, so prices go up.
At least, that’s what I’ve read. Sounds iffy to me, especially given the ridiculous differences from station to station on diesel. Did finally see it under $4 a gallon in NJ yesterday. I remember paying less for diesel than gas less than three years ago; so what was the case then?
Ooh, are you near Rothenberg? There’s an absolutely gorgeous beer garden outside the city walls, in the Tauber valley.
Boak – We spent two nights at the youth (you don’t have to be a youth) hostel in Rothenberg. Would have liked to have seen that beer garden . . .
Hey, I stayed there too!
oh well, I’m sure there’ll be other fine beer gardens…
Spessart, Schmeckt!
Named my son “Axel”, after “Axel Rauch” in Wertheim, Germany. He was a friend that showed me around town. One of his favorite haunts was a place owned by Heinrich Merkert, a WWII veteran…very very fun for a GI that loved to mingle. Remeber the “Days of Madness” when they celebrated “The Burning of the Castle”…Fausching I think they called it.