As a travel destination, Germany is known for many things including its architecture, its castles and historical sites, the rich culture of food and music, and its beer.
Beer Is Part Of The Culture
Beer is a big part of German culture, you only have to think of Oktoberfest, the annual beer festival in Munich to realise that. Oktoberfest has over 6 million people visiting every year to partake in the beer and the food, see the parades and visit the carnival.
Did you know that after Ireland, Germany is the second largest consumer of beer in the world? Of course, Germany exports a lot of beer too and this is partly due to the exceptional quality of beer. The German Purity Laws state that only water, hops and malt should be the ingredients and beer not exclusively using barley malt like wheat beer should be top-fermented.
Types Of German Beer
Top Breweries In Germany
There are many top breweries in Germany, so here in no particular order are some of my favourites.
Hofbrau Munich
Hofbrau Munich brews its beer on the outskirts of the city of Munich for the famous chain of Hofbrauhaus taverns. It was founded in 1589 by Duke Wilhelm V and supplied the bavarian royal house with beer. The beer is also exported all around the world and it produces many steins of beer for Oktoberfest too. You can take a tour of the brewery and sample its unfiltered beer as well as a few snacks.
Weihenstephan Brewery
Weihenstephan Brewery in Freising claims to be the oldest still existing brewery in the world. Based in a monastery. monks brewed beer here from 1040 AD. You can tour the brewery and see the brewing process and of course like all good tours end with a beer tasting.
Erdinger Munich
Erdinger Brewery based in Munich is the world's largest producer of wheat beer. One million bottles are produced every day in this brewery. The recipes are very traditional but the plant is modern and has a high-tech bottling plant and warehouse. There is a visitor centre and a brewery tour and you can enjoy a drink in the beer garden.
Becks Brewery
One of the beers that are famous worldwide is Becks, brewed in the north of Germany in Bremen. Brewing beer since 1873 you can take a comprehensive tour of Becks Brewery and which includes a museum, shows you the raw materials that go into making the beer, inside the brewhouse, the science behind the fermentation, the laboratory and more.
if you are a beer enthusiast it is well worth visiting Germany and touring some of the many breweries. Let me know. Have you visited Germany? What's your favourite German beer?
*Collaborative post
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