The Eye of the Beer Holder
Ask anyone what they know about German culture and someone will mention beer. It’s a cultural touchstone. Alongside sausages and lederhosen, it makes up the holy trinity of the things people outside Germany know about German culture. While Lederhosen is more of a southern peculiarity, beer and sausages are certainly a big part of day to day German life. Beer is ubiquitous, but it’s not just any beer, frequently what beer you drink or even have access to is determined by which part of the country you live in. Some areas, for example Franconia, seem to have breweries on every street, to the point that going to a bar in the Nürnberger Land can create a deep sense of decision paralysis. Faced with a menu of twenty different beers, it can be a difficult task just to decide which one to order. Thankfully for new arrivals to Deutschland, it’s almost impossible to get a bad beer. I’ve been here a long time, and I know of only one beer that is practically undrinkable, not a bad statistic when you think about it.
Part of the reason that German beer receives such high praise is the longstanding beer purity law, the Reinheitsgebot, which has been continued in one form or another for over half a millennium. Originally a Bavarian law, since its introduction in 1516, it’s been gradually adopted by all states. In order to use the name ‘beer’, German brewers must use only four ingredients: barley malt, hops, water and yeast. The result, unsurprisingly, is great beer. Germans are rightly proud of this law and most breweries label their beer with ‘Bier nach dem Reinheitsgebot gebraut’ (Brewed to the purity law).
The law itself has been subject to change, for example to accommodate imported beers, but if you see a label declaring itself to be German beer, you know what to expect. Despite the longevity of the law, it’s often been challenged for restricting creativity. Limiting the ingredients, the argument goes, means that German brewers are unable to keep up with global trends in beer making and only five years ago, German brewers voted to revise it. This argument has always seemed rather hollow, given that there are so many varieties of beer already available. Perhaps that’s the Bavarian in me, after all, the free state has often been the champion of the purity law. The Bavarians made nationwide adoption a precondition of joining the unification of Germany in 1871 and after the Berlin wall fell, it fought a ten-year legal battle to ensure the Reinheitsgebot continued with minimal changes.
Although brewers may see the law as unnecessarily restrictive, I’ve always considered it to be one of the more important aspects of Germany’s soft power. German beer has a very strong global reputation, the Reinheitsgebot is one pillar of the powerful ‘Made in Germany’ brand that if nothing else, stands for high quality. So powerful is the idea of German beer quality, it has become common to see beers in many different countries declaring ‘Made to the German purity law’ or ‘Made to the German standard’ which aims to reassure uncertain consumers that they are making the right decision. In the UK, where poor-quality mass-produced beer dominates the market, it makes avoiding overly chemical infused beers much easier.
Ironically, the Reinheitsgebot doesn’t help German consumers to choose. If all German beers are brewed to the same standard, how do consumers know what beer to buy? Well, the most obvious and probably most enjoyable option would be to try them all. As entertaining as that sounds, it could take a person years to try all the different variations from around Germany. Thankfully, there are shortcuts. Regional style is one. Depending on the city or region, there is usually a specialty that is more freely available than others. Take the famous Rauchbier (smoked beer) of Bamberg for example or Kölsch beer of Cologne that now has Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status from the EU, much like Champagne. If your region doesn’t happen to have a specialty, then perhaps your local football team has a preferred beer worth trying. German football fans are not only incredibly loyal to their teams, but they also have their own beer loyalties too. Driving over the unremarkable Stadtgrenze (city border) between Nürnberg and Fürth and you can see a giant Grüner Bier sign painted on the side of an apartment building, which acts as and advert and also a warning that you’re driving into a totally different city. Behind you are Tucher beer drinkers or FC Nürnberg and ahead are the Grüner drinkers of SpVgg Greuther Fürth.
Outside Germany, these regional differences are almost unknown, given that most of the German beers a person will find come from the larger breweries such as Erdinger, Franziskaner or Paulaner. For non-Germans, this is what German beer is, a selection of Weißbier. What comes as a surprise to many is that these are regional varieties of their own. Unlike the UK, most bars here don’t have the same beers on tap, which makes going to a pub something of a step into the unknown. Yes, you may find bars that sell these big three around Germany, but it’s no guarantee. Beers like Paulaner are synonymous with Bavaria or Bayern Munich which is not always a great selling point, even for those who live in Germany’s southern state. Some would rather drink a pint of cold sick than touch a Munich beer, which is not only a horrific image, but also a testament to the strength of feeling between regions.
Like so much of German culture, regional difference is a major part of what makes German beer so enjoyable. Despite misgivings about over regulation, variety doesn’t seem to have been impacted. Only one question remains: which beer should you choose? I’m no expert but my advice to anyone travelling to Germany or intending to move is to find the oldest beer you can, which in Germany could well be a 12th century recipe, brewed by monks in a tiny monastery on top of a hill or on a tiny cove next to a major river, only accessible by rowing boat. Take a trip to that brewery, climb that hill, cross that river and try that beer. Honestly, you won’t regret it.
