Beer
For serious
beer
drinkers, Germany is the
ultimate paradise.
Wherever you go, you can
be sure of getting a
product made locally,
often brewed in a
distinctive style. The
country has well over
1200 breweries, with
over half the total in
Bavaria alone. By far
the densest
concentration is in
Upper Franconia, where
the traditional
institution of the
Hausbrauerei, a
combination of a small
brewery and a pub-restaurant
(often offering
accommodation as well)
still survives in force.
All German breweries
voluntarily adhere to
the
Reinheitsgebot
(Purity Law) of 1516,
whichlays down stringent
standards of production,
including a ban on
chemical susbtitutes.
Despite a growing trend
towards takeovers and
amalgamations,
particularly among large
and medium-sized brewers,
the effect on consumer
choice has been minimal.
Often, production has
been allowed to continue
as before in different
locations, though in
others the brewing for
several different labels
has been consolidated in
a single site. Another
positive aspect has been
the revivalof long-forgotten
techniques, often put
into practice in new-generation
Hausbrauereien. Usually
subsidiaries of larger
local or regional
breweries, these are
springing up all the
time, and are deservedly
very popular, often
being the trendiest spot
in town.
More generally,
there's an encouraging
continuation of old-fashioned
top-fermented
brewing styles. Until
the nineteenth century,
all beers were made this
way, but the interaction
of the yeasts with a hot
atmosphere meant that
brewing had to be
suspended during the
summer. It was the
Germans who discovered
that the yeast sank to
the foot of the
container when stored
under icy conditions;
thereafter, brewing took
on a more scientific
nature, and yeast
strains were bred so
that beer could be
bottom-fermented ,
thus allowing its
production all year
round. The top-
fermentation process, on
the other hand, allows
for a far greater
individuality in the
taste (often
characterized by a
distinct fruitiness),
and can, of course, now
be used throughout the
year, thanks to modern
temperature controls.
All wheat beers use this
process.
A quick beer tour of
Germany would inevitably
begin in Munich ,
which occupies third
place in the world
production league table.
The city's beer gardens
and beer halls are the
most famous drinking
dens in the country,
offering a wide variety
of premier products,
from dark lagers through
tart Weizens to
powerful Bocks .
Nearby Freising
boasts the oldest
brewery in the world,
dating back to the
eleventh century. In
Upper Franconia,
distinctive traditions
are found in Bamberg
(national champion for
beer consumption per
resident), Kulmbach
and Bayreuth .
In Baden-Württemberg,
the local brews are
sweeter and softer, in
order to appeal to
palates accustomed to
wine; Stuttgart
and Mannheim are
the main production
centres. Central Germany
is even more strongly
wedded to wine, though
there are odd pockets of
resistance. Indeed,
Frankfurt , the
German cider metropolis,
also has, in Binding,
one of the country's
largest breweries.
Further north, where
it's too cold to grow
grapes, the beer
tradition returns with a
vengeance. Cologne
holds the world record
for the number of city
breweries, all of which
producethe jealously
guarded Kölsch .
Düsseldorf again
has its own distinctive
brew, the dark Alt
. Dortmund even
manages to beat Munich
for the title of
European capital of beer
production, and is
particularly associated
with Export .
Equally good are the
delicate brews of the
Sauerland and
Siegerland , made
using the soft local
spring water. One of
these, the heavily
promoted Pils
produced by Warsteiner,
is now Germany's
best-selling beer,
albeit with less than 5
percent of the total
market.
Hannover, Bremen
and Hamburg all
have long brewing
pedigrees, with many of
their products widely
available abroad. The
most distinctive beers
of the northernmost
Länder, however, are
those of Einbeck
(the original home of
Bock ) and Jever
. In contrast to these
heady brews is the
acidic Weisse of
Berlin , which is
completely transformed
into a refreshing summer
thirst-quencher by the
addition of a dash of
syrup.
East German brews are
far less exciting, with
the notable exception of
Köstrizer , an
outstanding black beer
made in Bad Köstritz
in the outskirts of
Gera. Leipzig has
managed a revival of its
varied brewing tradition
since the fall of
Communism, but elsewhere
there's seldom anything
other than the standard
fare of light beers and
local variations of
Pils , of which the
best are from
Radeberg near
Dresden and those made
from the soft water of
the Vogtland .
Drinks glossary
|
Apfelsaft
|
apple juice
|
|
Apfelwein
|
apple wine
|
|
Bier
|
beer
|
|
Federweisser
|
new wine
|
|
Glühwein
|
hot mulled wine
|
|
Grog
|
hot rum
|
|
Herrengedeck
|
cocktail of beer
and Sekt
|
|
Kaffee
|
coffee
|
|
Kaffee mit Milch
|
coffee with milk
|
|
Kakao
|
cocoa
|
|
Korn
|
rye spirit
|
|
Kräutertee,
Pflanzentee
|
herbal tea
|
|
Likör
|
liqueur
|
|
Milch
|
milk
|
|
Milchshake
|
milk shake
|
|
Mineralwasser
|
mineral water
|
|
Orangensaft
|
orange juice
|
|
Roséwein
|
rosé wine
|
|
Rotwein
|
red wine
|
|
Sekt
|
sparkling wine
|
|
Tee |
tea |
|
Tomatensaft
|
tomato juice
|
|
Traubensaft
|
grape juice
|
|
Trinkschokolade
|
drinking
chocolate
|
|
Wasser
|
water
|
|
Weinbrand
|
brandy
|
|
Weinschorle
|
spritzer
|
|
Weisswein
|
white wine
|
|
Zitronenlimonade
|
lemonade
|
|
Zitronentee
|
lemon tea
|
Wine
Many people's knowledge
of German wine starts
and ends with
Liebfraumilch , the
medium-sweet easy-drinking
wine. Sadly, its success
has obscured the quality
of other German wines,
especially those made
from the Riesling grape,
and it's worth noting
that the
Liebfraumilch drunk
in Germany tastes
nothing like the bilge
swilled back abroad.
The vast majority of
German wine is white
since the northern
climate doesn't ripen
red grapes regularly. If
after a week or so
you're pining for a
glass of red, try a
Spätburgunder (the
Pinot Noir of
Burgundy).
First step in any
exploration of German
wine should be to
understand what's on the
label: the predilection
for Gothic script and
gloomy martial crests
makes this an uninviting
prospect, but the
division of categories
is intelligent and
helpful - if at first a
little complex.
Like most EU wine,
German wine is divided
into two broad
categories: Tafelwein
("table wine", for which
read "cheap plonk") and
Qualitätswein
("quality wine"),
equivalent to the French
Appellation Contrôlée
.
