Bring on the Beer!

Since Germany is often referred to as the beer capital of the world, I thought it might about time to let you in on some of the local Beermania...

*Beer is cheaper than water....SERIOUSLY.  You can get a .5L beer at any restaurant for around 2 Euro, where a glass of water (even from the tap) or soda can cost upwards of 4 Euro.  I know I have mentioned this before, but it still shocks me every time we go out to eat.

*There is no such thing as a liquor license. This means that you can get a class of beer (or any alcohol for that matter) anywhere, anytime.  This even includes movie theaters and fast food stops.

*If you order a beer you can be CERTAIN that it will be served to you in a matching glass....even at someone's house.  Many times beer sold at grocery stores or gas stations comes with an accompanying glass so that you can carry on the custom.  I am pretty sure that it is a sin to drink beer out of a glass that does not match the logo on the bottle from which it was poured.  Sound fun right....except for the simple fact that we have only been here 6 months and already have quite a collection of glasses (which do not fit in our already stuffed kitchen).

*Beer is generally sold in glass bottles by the crate.  This is fun because you can mix and match your crate so that it is personalized to your taste.  However, this also means that you have to pay a deposit on both the crate and the bottles, generally around $5, to ensure that they are returned to the store for recycling. 

*Choosing beer at the store in Germany is like choosing wine in the U.S....Your choices are unlimited.  To put it simply there are over 1300 Breweries in Germany alone.  This means that we could drink a different beer everyday until we leave and still not get a taste of ALL Germany has to offer.

*Beer produced in Germany must be some combination of these 5 ingredients; water, barley, hops, yeast and sugar.  The inclusion of anything else would violate the "Reinheitsgebot" or German Beer Purity Law (which they take very seriously).  Makes it all sound so simple, doesn't it?

*"Pills" or pale beers are the most common and popular with the locals.  This was surprising to me...before coming here I thought that Germans were most know for their dark beer.

*Each restaurant serves its own "brand" of beer, usually a local brew.  The "brand" is typically advertised on the outside of the joint that way you know what type of beer they serve before you see a menu.  This way you can pick and choose your restaurant based on ale. 

*In some German states it is the legal right for prisoners to be served 2 beers per day.

* Most Germans drink beer with both lunch and dinner on a daily basis.

And the big shocker....

*Colaweissen (Heffaweissen beer mixed with Cola) is served almost everywhere...and not to mention AWESOME (the cola takes the bitter taste out of the beer)!  This was extremely surprising to me because I figured Germans to be sticklers on beer purity. 



I know what you are thinking..."beer mixed with coke, Yuck!"  Which is exactly what I thought when it was first introduced to me.  All I can say to that is give it a try for yourself (I find a 60/40 ratio of beer to cola makes the perfect one...but you can always adjust it to fit your taste!

You can also find Radler (beer and 7up) beers mixed with flavored syrups and a large variety of nonalcoholic beers.  These types of mixes are so common in fact that they sell premade mixes in bottles in the beer isle!





Cheers!



Hope you all have a very happy 4th of July...Although the beer in Germany may outshine our traditional bbq beverages.....I am definately still Proud to be an AMERICAN!!