Nathan: Things are going well at Veltins brewery in western Germany. Well, at least for now. The company has concerns about its energy supplies “wenn Russland […] den Gashahn zudrehen sollte”, should Russia turn the gas tap off. A spokesperson tells us that beer sales, “die Bier-Absätze”, have risen substantially in the first half of this year, but there’s uncertainty as to whether they’re still able to brew in the autumn. This is because a gas embargo is hanging over the industry like the sword of Damocles, “weil das Gasembargo wie ein Damoklesschwert über der Branche schwebt”, meaning that it could happen without warning. To avoid jeopardizing beer supplies, “um die Versorgungssituation beim Bier nicht zu gefährden”, Veltins is trying to equip itself, “sich […] zu rüsten”. The company is also trying to prevent price hikes, which it knows would annoy customers. Despite the uncertainty or “Ungewissheit” of it all, Veltins wants to do everything it can to keep its beer flowing.