German Beer Guide

Germany currently ranks as the 3rd largest consumers of beer per capita just after the Czech Republic and Ireland.

There’s no doubt that Germans love their beer! 

The history of German beer dates back to the beginnings of the country when monks began to experiment with brewing around 1000 A.D. Eventually, brewing became very profitable for the monks and the country’s leaders began to implement laws surrounding the production of beer.

Today, there are over 1,300 breweries across the country along with more than 5,000 kinds of beer varieties. As well, Germany currently ranks as the 3rd largest consumers of beer per capita just after the Czech Republic and Ireland.

So if you’re interested in finding out more about German beers, here’s a brief guide to getting you started.

Prost!

Reinheitsgebot

The Reinheitsgebot also known as the “German Beer Purity Law” or the “Bavarian Purity Law” is a regulation on the production of beer in Germany. The Reinheitsgebot dates back to 1516 and is the oldest food regulation in the world. In the original text, the only ingredients that could be used in the production of beer were water, barley and hops. However, in recent years some breweries have decided to include other ingredients in their production as well.

Beer Styles and Varieties

The following below is a list of the most common German beer styles and varieties:

Altbier: A strong, dark, top fermented hoppy beer brewed around Düsseldorf and North Rhine-Westphalia.

Berliner Weisse: A pale, very sour wheat beer brewed in the city of Berlin. It’s often served with fruit syrup.

Bockbier: Originally drunk by monks during the Lenten fast to assist in providing more protein and calories. Bockbier is an amber, heavy-bodied, bitter-sweet lager. It can have an alcohol content of up to 16% making it stronger than many wines.

Dortmunder: A full-bodied, moderately hopped beer of at least 5% alcohol by volume. The beer originated in Germany’s steel and coal district along the River Ruhr in the 19th century.

Dunkel: A dark, sweet beer containing roasted malt flavors. Dunkel is the German word for “dark.”

Helles: A full-bodied, bottom fermented, pale lager from Munich.

Oktoberfestbier: A well-aged, stronger lager brewed in March for consumption during and around Oktoberfest time.

Pilsner: One of the most well-known types of German beer, pilsner is a light-colored lager. It accounts for two-thirds of the German beer market share.

Märzen: Medium to full body texture with a malty flavor. Märzen can vary greatly in color from pale to dark varieties.

Schwarzbier: A bottom-fermented dark lager with chocolate or coffee flavor.

Spezial: A pale, full, bitter-sweet and delicately hopped lager.

Famous Brands and Breweries

There are over 1,300 different types of breweries across the country. The following is a list of the most famous brands and breweries:

Augustiner Bräu – Established in 1328, Augustiner Bräu is Munich’s oldest independent brewery and produces some of its most popular brands of beer.

Beck’s Brewery -  The famous Beck’s beer is brewed on the riverbanks in Bremen, in the North of Germany. Slightly bitter and known around the world, Beck’s and its local version Haake Beck’s have been crafted since 1879.

Bitburger Brewery – The Bitburger Brewery is known internationally for its Premium Beer brewed according to the German Purity Law of 1516. Its popular, dry-finished, hoppy taste has secured Bitburger’s Premium Beer the position as Germany’s no. 1 draught beer.

Krombacher Brewery – The Krombacher Brewery was founded in 1803 by Bernhard Schadeberg and has continued to be in the hands of the Schadeberg family for generations. The company produces the most consumed Pilsener within Germany.

Warsteiner Brewery – Germany’s largest privately owned brewery dating back to 1753. It’s most popular brand of beer is Warsteiner Premium Verum.

Weihenstephan Brewery – The oldest working brewery in the world dating back to 1040 AD.

Beer Festivals

Germany has several large and well-known beer festivals. The most popular is the Munich Oktoberfest which is the world’s largest fair and has over six million people attending each year. Many other places in Germany and around the world have similar events called Oktoberfest, which were founded by German immigrants or their descendants.

The 2nd largest beer festival in Germany is the Cannstatter Volksfest in Stuttgart. In recent years, it’s popularity has increased and so too have the amount of people from around the world visiting the festival.

Beer boots range in size from a shot glass up to several liters.

Just for fun!

Germans may take brewing very seriously but they also like to have a lot of fun. Did you know the ”Beer Boot” is a uniquely German invention? Some believe the Beer Boot was originally invented in the 14 century where soldiers would pass around a leather boot filled with beer before engaging their enemy in battle.

In Deutschland they are called Bierstiefel and these boots are popular with tourists in Bavaria and Munich in particular. Beer boots have became increasingly popular in North America after being featured in Hollywood films and television shows.