It’s a question that has baffled travelers for decades. Why is German beer so deliriously delicious, incredibly thirst-quenching  and unbelievably satisfying? No, opium is not the main ingredient. Allow me to explain our addiction to ’Deutsches Bier’.

 

 

 

Tradition

The Germans have been in the beer game for a long time. And I’m not talking about the better part of the 20th century. Tribes in present-day Germany have been brewing beer since the ‘bronze age’, yes, the ‘bronze age’-as in around 1000 B.C. You know what they say- practice makes perfect!

Culture

All over Germany you can find beer gardens and public spaces where drinking a beer is a beloved pastime. Going out for a ‘bier’ in Germany can be compared to going out for pizza or sushi- its more like a type of cuisine. In America, we tend to view beer as a means to a drunken end at bars, sporting events or frat parties.

Consumption

In terms of per capita consumption, Germans rank third behind the Irish and the Czechs (Americans come in at 13). With higher levels of consumption per person, Germans have developed a discerning palette for quality beer.

Alcohol Content

I’m not sure if a higher alcohol content equates with better taste, but its for damn sure that the more alcohol in the beer, the more price worthy it is and, uh well…effective.

Law

Probably the most influential factor as to why German beer is so good is a little law passed in 1516 called the ‘Reinheitsgebot‘, or ‘purity law’. It was introduced by Bavarian co-rulers Duke Wilhelm IV and Duke Ludwig X in an effort to  regulate the brewing industry in Bavaria. It stated that beer could only be produced from water, barley, and hops. Although the law would later change and yeast would introduced, this simple brewing law would lay the foundation standard for German beers even until today.