A look at how the war in Ukraine is affecting wheat prices and, by extension, the price of beer in Switzerland. 

Russia's invasion of Ukraine and subsequent blockade of its ports which is hampering grain exports will lead to a 4 percent per-ton rise in grain prices this year, according to a study from Hellosafe.ch (in German).

The report took that forecast and applied it to beer prices across Switzerland, coming up with a list for all cantons and major cities' beer prices for the end of the year. finews.com decided to take a closer look. 

Lausanne in the Canton of Vaud had the highest prices at 7.96 Swiss francs per pint ($8.29), which might explain why the Vaudois tend to prefer wine to beer.  

In Davos, home to the World Economic Forum which is taking place from May 22 to May 26 of this year rather than in its usual January slot, prices are projected at 7.03 francs. That is unlikely to be a hindrance for the billionaires flying in on their private jets and, in any case, champagne is likely the preferred social fuel.

Those seeking a cheapest quaff at 4.93 francs a pint, have four choices in as many Cantons, all of which are German-speaking. There is Arbon in Thurgau, Langenthal in Bern, Olten in Solothurn and Chur in the Grisons, the only canton with three official languages. 

April Consumer Prices

The report shows that beer prices still have room to climb by year-end. In April, consumer prices rose 0.4 percent from March and were 2.5 percent higher than in April of last year, as figures from the Federal Statistics Office showed. This is certainly a far more modest level of inflation than in neighboring countries. 

Getting back to beer prices, they rose 2.4 percent in April from the previous month and were 1.9 percent higher than a year ago and so a bit tamer than overall inflation. But as the study shows, there is more price pressure on tap for beer prices.

Used Cars

When reporting consumer prices for January earlier this year, the Federal Statistics Office noted an increase in the price of used cars of ten percent year-over-year, which likely reflected supply chain constraints. 

That trend continued in April as prices for second-hand cars were 15.6 more expensive than in April of last year. 

SNB and Inflation

In March, the Swiss National Bank (SNB) significantly raised its inflation forecast for 2022 to 2.1 percent from 1.0 percent, after a series of far smaller increments at previous meetings, as finews.com reported. 

The Swiss National Bank will give its monetary policy assessment on June 16 in Bern along with a press conference. For those seeking refreshment after the press event, they will be happy to find that SNB is holding the meeting there rather than at its Zurich headquarters. In Bern, the price of a pint of beer is 5.92 Swiss francs compared to 6.96 francs in Zurich according to the report.

Oktoberfest Prices

Beer prices for Munich's Oktoberfest in Munich are on the rise as well. While not comparable to the prices in the Hellosafe survey, Germany's «Bild» newspaper reported that prices will range from €12.50 to €13.00 ($13.02 to $13.54) for a «Mass» (1 liter) of beer. 

Compared to 2019, which was the last time the festival was held due to Covid, prices reported by «Bild» are roughly 10 percent higher.

In these inflationary times, every cent and rappen counts.