Don't miss a moment of the World Cup! Visit "My Teams" in your Settings and select your favorite team to set up scores and news alerts. It's only Day 7 of the 2018 World Cup in Russia, and Moscow is already facing a major problem: It's reportedly running low on beer. Soccer fans from all over the world are congregated in the Russian capital to watch the World Cup, and those fans have one thing in common: Beer. Now, restaurants in Moscow are reporting that fans have depleted their beer supply, and it's taking longer to replenish, according to Reuters. "We just didn't think they would only want beer," said an anonymous waiter at an upscale Russian restaurant that apparently is less than familiar with soccer's fans. Restaurants aren't the only ones having their stocks depleted. Resupply is taking longer than a day because suppliers are also running low. "There are really a lot of people in Moscow ... and they are all drinking," the waiter said. "It's hot, and it's football." Several beer companies, including Heineken and Baltika, told Reuters they weren't impacted, while FIFA's World Cup sponsor, Anheuser-Busch didn't reply, per Reuters. Of course, when you have stuff like this going on, your beer supply might take a hit: For now, Russia should just be glad the United States didn't make the World Cup.<doc-sep>(CNN) — The football World Cup usually means barbeques, beer, and big summer parties, but these plans could fall flat for many Europeans this year. A massive shortage of carbon dioxide gas used to inject the fizz into many canned and bottled beverages is said to be threatening stocks of beer and soda. And the CO2 drought couldn't have come at a worse time. High summer temperatures, combined with an exciting start to the FIFA World Cup finals in Russia were supposed to be a major boost to beer sales, as spectators across Europe hit bars and pubs to watch the games. "We are aware of a situation affecting the availability of CO2 across Europe," says Brigid Simmonds, chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association. "Given the time of year and the World Cup, this situation has arisen at an unfortunate time for the brewing industry." No CO2, no fizz l e v a r t CO2 gas is pumped into some beers to carbonate it. If there's no CO2, then there's no fizz. It's also used in the pouring and packaging of beer. The shortage is apparently a knock on effect of trouble in the ammonia production industry. Most food grade CO2 is made using ammonia but a shutdown of various ammonia plants across Europe has caused widespread supply shortfalls, leading to a slowdown in CO2 production. The shutdowns, according to Richard Ewing, ammonia market editor for petrochemical market information provider ICIS, have been caused by regular maintenance of ammonia plants. However, the current high prices for natural gas -- used to fuel ammonia production -- is discouraging facilities from reopening. Recent waves of warm weather rippling across much of Europe have further helped spike demand for soft drinks and carbonated beverages, according to the trade journal Gas World. 'On their hands and knees' The 2018 FIFA World Cup has increased Europe's summer appetite for beer. Vyacheslav Prokofyev/TASS/Vyacheslav Prokofyev/TASS "The shortages of C02 across northern Europe is impacting a wide range of businesses across the food and drink sector," says Gavin Partington, director general at British Soft Drinks Association. And with no notable increase in ammonia supplies arriving to the large European shipping centers of Antwerp and Rotterdam, it's likely the CO2 crisis will become worse in the next few weeks, says Ewing. "The CO2 companies are practically on their hands and knees begging the ammonia producers not to shut down," says Ewing.<doc-sep>Thousands of fans have been partying in the city center every night for a week. Fans partying at the World Cup in Moscow are downing so much beer that they are nearly drinking parts of the city dry, with some bars saying they get close to running out each night. For almost a week, tens of thousands of foreign and local fans have been turning the heart of Moscow into a street party each night, gathering in the area around the Kremlin in a huge tide of chanting, dancing and drinking, which doesn't recede until the very early hours of the morning. “They drink half a tonne of beer each night!” said Evgeny Gorbanov, a bouncer at Let’s Rock Bar, whose establishment has been overflowing with fans every night since the month-long tournament began. Half a dozen bars said they had almost ran out of beer in the first few days of the competition and had had to quickly increase orders to keep up with the demand. “We hadn’t counted on it,” said Nikolai Vladik, manager at Ketch-Up, a burger bar. “On the first day, it got pretty tough. But we’ve prepared now,” he said. Like many residents in Moscow, the bar staff said they had been caught off guard by the avalanche of fans and the scale of the partying. At Kamchatka, an all-night bar that sells beers in plastic cups, staff said they had sharply increased their beer orders. At the restaurant Dante, manager Nadia Desyatelik said fans were drinking 200 liters a night, compared to the 30 they normally sell. Several shell-shocked, but happy-looking bar staffers and managers said fans need not worry - they would keep the beer taps flowing. Asked what the fans drink when they run out of beer, Vladik - with a wry laugh - said. “Vodka.” The World Cup street parties - flooded each night with flag-wrapped fans - are unfolding in one of Moscow’s toniest neighborhoods, sitting between the famous Bolshoi Theater and Russia’s Prosecutor General’s Office. The epicenter of the revelry is Nikolskaya Street, a long, pedestrianized drag that leads directly onto Red Square and the Kremlin. Fans head there after each win. Each night, a bobbing, deafening mass of people from a bewildering mix of countries mingle — Mexican fans in sombreros and wrestling masks, Egyptians dressed as pharaohs, Russian fans teaching Argentinians folk dances, to name a few. On Tuesday night, after Russia beat Egypt 3-1 to effectively put them through to the knockout stage of the World Cup for the first time in almost 30 years, a vast flood of euphoric Russians poured into the streets again. Some of the fans themselves have said that they were also impressed by how much was being consumed, with some saying other host cities were being drained too. “That’s crazy,” said Per Engstrom, a Swedish fan sitting with three friends drinking beer on a nearby terrace. “We were in Nizhny Novogorod and they also ran out of beer,” he said referring to a host city about 6 hours from Moscow. “At 11 o’clock! Before lunch!” “It’s not ok,” he added, laughing. Some bar staff said they were nervous that beer suppliers might miss vital deliveries. But Baltika, the Russian unit of Carlsberg told Reuters that while there was increased risk of supply disruption during the World Cup, their business was so far able to handle demand. Heineken also told Reuters sales were strong and the brewer did not yet see any challenges to its supply. The party has surprised Muscovites all the more because few can remember anything like it in the city. Drinking on the street is illegal in Russia, carrying a fine of between $7 - $23. A growing emphasis from the Kremlin on public discipline, combined with an official suspicion towards street gatherings, has made wild public displays unwise. But those rules seem to have been suspended for the World Cup. Russian police have stood by and watched as fans have clambered up lamp posts and hung flags from buildings. On Nikolskaya Street, Argentinian fans have covered a monastery with team banners. Riot police, usually dour, have been addressing people with rare politeness at security points. Russians are marveling at the new light-touch approach. Many are also delighted by the party atmosphere on the streets. The revelry has so far been good-natured - with few reports of trouble. “Everyday is a weekend,” said Liza Yakushenko, a worker at a cocktail bar, Cuba Libre, which is open 24 hours a-day.<doc-sep>
MOSCOW — Beer-guzzling soccer fans risk drinking parts of Moscow dry, with some bars and restaurants in the Russian capital saying they are running low and having to wait longer than usual for fresh supplies. Moscow has been transformed by the World Cup, with singing, chanting and beer-swilling fans overwhelming some of the packed bars and restaurants around the Kremlin and Red Square. “We just didn’t think they would only want beer,” said one waiter, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of scaring off future customers, at an upscale eatery in central Moscow. The waiter said his restaurant ran out of draft lager on Monday and deliveries are taking longer than usual — at least 24 hours — because suppliers’ stocks are also running low. “There are really a lot of people in Moscow … and they are all drinking,” he said. “It’s hot, and it’s football.” Beer sales in Russia have fallen by around a third over the past decade as duties have risen and rules been tightened on sales and advertising. Brewers had not been expecting a major reversal of the trend this year. Baltika, the Russian unit of Carlsberg, said that although there was an increased risk of supply disruption during the World Cup, its business had not been affected. Heineken said sales were going well so far, and it did not yet see any challenges in supplying its beer. Anheuser-Busch InBev, the world’s biggest brewer and an official FIFA sponsor for the World Cup, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Dmitry, a bartender at a trendy courtyard bar, Gogol, said visiting soccer fans had drunk 800 liters (more than 211 gallons) of beer in three days, downing the cheap lager before moving on to more expensive bottled beers. Gogol received three deliveries on Tuesday to replenish supplies, he said, as workers busily unpacked boxes of beer, vodka and whiskey from a nearby van. “The sun makes them thirsty,” he said of his customers. “In Russian we say, ‘To the bottom!’ I like that these guys are embracing our culture.” Ivan, a Croatian fan in Russia to see his team take on Argentina on Thursday, said he had yet to encounter any shortages. “There is beer everywhere,” he said, swigging from a can of Russian Zhiguli lager while sitting on a bench near the Bolshoi Theatre. “Some places yes, some places no. You just have to know where to find it!”