It’s no secret that Germans are big into beer… I mean, the oldest brewery in the world is Weihenstephan Abbey a monastery that is now a brewery in Freising, Germany (just outside of Munich). The church was founded in 720. Later it became licensed as a brewery in by the City of Freising in 1040, that makes the brewery the oldest working brewery in the world.
Don’t get me wrong… beer has been around a lot longer than that.. but no one does it quite like the germans do.
So with that in mind… here a are few facts Matthew and I have learned so far about Germans and their beer.
- Most beer started in monasteries
Yes, Monks were the earliest brewers of your favorite drink. As you can see in my opening, the oldest brewery was once a monastery.
Monks used to stew barley and hops in boiling water and during lent they would drink this concoction in place of food … they called it “liquid bread” – or in German terms “Flüssiges Brot”.
2. Up till the 20th century… water was not always safe to drink
Beer was regarded as safe, nutritious and caloric, even good for small children. Though the alcohol content was low – I can imagine how interesting children acted back then.
3. Germany has put into place “purity laws”
Started in 1516 – Germans purity laws state that you can only use four ingredients to brew your beer…. Those are ‘nothing other than barley, hops and water’. The importance of yeast was not known at the time and was added later.
Anything else added and it can no longer be called beer (or Bier)
This law is still in effect and also happens to be the oldest law in the world that is still enforced!
Nonetheless, there are still over 40 different beers with 5,000 different brands to choose from in Germany. According to that you can try a new beer everyday for about 15 years…
Matthew… we have a lot of drinking to do!
4. Beers all have exact temperatures in which they should be consumed
Now this goes for beer all over the world… but many of the German beers are drank at a warmer temperature… I found this chart to help you figure it out.
- 35–40°F (2–4°C): Mass market light lagers
- 40–45°F (4–7°C): Czech and German Pilsners, Munich Helles, wheat beers, and Kölsch
- 45–50°F (7–10°C): IPAs, American pale ales, porters, and most stouts
- 50–55°F (10–13°C): Belgian ales, sour ales, Bocks, English bitters and milds, Scottish ales
- 55–60°F (13–16°C): Barleywines, imperial stouts, Belgian strong ales, and Doppelbocks
Besides drink a natty light iced cold.. most other beers should be served warmer.
Time to get nerdy with our beer consumption… We need a thermometer.
5. You can drink beer anywhere in Munich
I don’t know about the rest of Germany, but you can crack open your alcoholic drink of choice in any park, subway or sidewalk you fancy here. We’ve seen quite a few hikers, parents in parks and kids that definitely don’t look old enough to drink enjoying a brew.
As long as you don’t get belligerent, all is well.
Matthew and I had doners and beer the other day… I was walking around like a criminal hiding my beer. It just felt so foreign. I also chugged it before jumping on the U-bahn. Turns out, I would have been fine!
Since on Sundays everything is closed down here.. Friday and Saturdays are mad houses for the liquor stores. You’ll see your neighbor wheeling cases of beers home… we are not the norm picking and choosing one or two beers to try on the weekends when we are surrounded by people holding crates clinking and clanking.
6. German consumption of beer is rapidly declining.
Once the number one beer drinkers in the world.. They are no longer. According to the World Health Organization, Germany ranked fourth in the world in pure alcohol consumption per capita, behind only Moldova, Lithuania and the Czech Republic.
Germans drank on average 131.3 liters (34.7 gallons) of alcoholic beverages in 2018, according to a study published by the German Center for Addiction Issues (DHS)
In contrast… the average Americans drink 2.3 gallons of alcohol per year…
Germans also smoked over 75 billon cigarettes…
So there is that.
7. During Oktoberfest, 6 million liters of beer is consumed
This is also where many people get belligerent.
I was told that the hill where the Bavarian statue stands is considered “puke hill”.. I will be avoiding that this October.
8. A popular drink here is mixing beer and sprite (or any lemon flavored drink)
They call it a “Radler” (German for ‘cyclist’). Though once it is mixed it is no longer considered beer… they sell them at the local market here.
9. The drinking age in Munich is 16
Though you aren’t allowed spirits until you are 18. But I get the feeling people start drinking beer a lot earlier than that here.
Well! That’s it for now. Matthew ordered some “smoked bier” this week so stay tuned this weekend for our take on that.
Thanks for reading
Auf Wiedersehen!
Nomad Nutrition 