Beer prices have gone up due to inflation, therefore brewers are having a hard time preparing for Oktoberfest

The festival commences at noon Saturday when Munich's mayor taps the first keg and proclaims “O'zapft is,” or “It's tapped” in Bavarian dialect.

While the rising cost of a round of beer on the festival's long wooden benches is certainly a factor, mounting costs for Germany's brewers run much deeper.

They are experiencing rising prices all along their chain of production, from raw ....