Germany Rapidly Running Out of Beer Bottles Europe’s heatwave is both good and bad news for Germany’s beer industry. The breweries have more than enough beer to go around. But they’re running out of bottles because customers aren’t returning their empties soon enough. Germans care about the environment about as much as their beer – that's why the glass bottles are recycled. Customers pay a small deposit on each one, which they get back when they return it to a store. There are about 4 billion beer bottles in circulation somewhere in Germany, and each bottle is refilled up to 30 times, according to ‘Inside Magazine’. Stone Brewing’s Berlin plant is selling its beer in cans. Stone Brewing cans also carry a deposit, and 98 percent get recycled. Cans are easier than bottles when it comes to logistics, hence why they aren't running short like other breweries.