Micah Stanley
Hardly any drink arouses as many emotions in us Germans as beer. And hardly any drink is so connected to our history and tradition.
Our beer: types of beer
In 2016, the German Purity Law celebrated its 500th anniversary. This oldest still valid food regulation still ensures the high, world-renowned quality of German beer today. Water, malt, hops, and yeast – that’s all that can be used for a German beer. And despite the few ingredients, no fewer than 6,000 different beers are made in this country.
Below you will find an overview of German beer types. We present you with serving suggestions for suitable dishes for each variety.
Pilsener: The young superstar
Pils is the most popular beer in Germany today and accounts for around half of all beers drunk. It is a comparatively recent invention. It was served for the first time in 1842 in what is now the Czech town of Pilsen. A good Pils is light and golden in color. It contains around 4.8% alcohol by volume. Its aroma, which is clearly dominated by hops, is finely tart and unfolds best at a drinking temperature of 8 °C.
A fresh Pilsner goes wonderfully with fish dishes or seafood, but also with light pasta or fine feta cheese.
Black beer: strong, dark, delicious
Black beers have a long tradition but have been pushed aside by light beers in recent decades. Black beers are currently celebrating a small renaissance and are enjoying increasing popularity. Schwarzbier is, as its name suggests, dark brown to black in color and topped with a light foam. It tastes full-bodied and contains 4.8% alcohol by volume. A good dark beer contains roasted aromas and hints of coffee and cocoa.
It is best to serve hearty meat dishes or grilled vegetables with distinctive dark beer. Chocolate desserts or an airy nut cake can also be enjoyed with a black beer.
Wheat: It doesn’t get any more Bavarian
Wheat beer is a traditional Bavarian beer and was brewed exclusively in the Free State between the 17th and 18th centuries under the aristocratic Wittelsbach family. Today, the ruling wheat monopoly no longer exists, but over 80% of wheat beers come from Bavaria. It doesn’t matter whether it’s dark, light, or even Kristallweizen – this beer is also becoming increasingly popular in the north. The light wheat has a creamy mouthfeel, tastes fruity, and is reminiscent of bananas. Dark wheat thrives on its malt aromas and tastes of ripe fruit or even caramel.
Enjoy vegetable dishes or soups with a light wheat beer. Wheat beer also cuts a fine figure with a cold buffet or with a fruit salad. A roast goes just as well with a dark wheat beer as smoked ham.
Bock beer: Bock auf Bock?
Even if one of the most famous bock beers, the Munich Salvator, is brewed in Bavaria, it comes from northern Germany, from Einbeck to be precise. The coloring is reminiscent of Pils, but the bock beer tastes stronger and, at 7% vol., also contains more alcohol. A bock beer impresses more with its malt than with its hop aromas. The taste is reminiscent of dried fruit or freshly baked bread.
With its full aroma, the bock beer goes well with steak and other fried meat dishes. The beer can also stand up to a spicy cheese or a heavy cream cake.
Altbier: Helau, an Alt please!
Altbier is not a beer that has been stored for a particularly long time, but one of the beers that can look back on a long tradition. Altbier is mainly drunk in Düsseldorf and the surrounding area and is in friendly competition with Kolsch from Cologne. The only exception is probably the Duckstein variety, which is drunk nationwide, best at 8 to 10 °C. Altbier appears red-brownish to dark brown and tastes tart to fruity. Depending on the variety, roasted and caramel aromas tickle the palate.
Due to its diverse taste, the Alt is uncomplicated when choosing its table companions. It can be drunk with various fish, meat, and vegetable dishes alike.
Beer myths – what’s really true?
Does warm beer with honey help with a cold or insomnia? Should you drink beer first and then wine or vice versa? And does beer really make you fat? We examine these and other myths about beer.
- Warm beer with honey – miracle cure?
TRUE – Believe it or not, warm beer with honey is great for relieving a cold. Hops and malt contain essential oils and bitter substances, which can work even better when heated. These have an antibacterial effect and promote sleep. Do not boil the beer, otherwise, the alcohol, which is also a good antibacterial agent, will spoil. The addition of honey not only makes the warm beer more enjoyable but also has a soothing effect on cold symptoms.
- Beer on wine, let that be?
FALSE – The order in which you drink wine and beer is irrelevant to your physical condition the following day. Only the amount of alcohol makes the poison in this case. “Beer on wine, let that be. Wine on beer, I advise you.” This saying can probably be traced back to the simple fact that the enjoyment of wine was only granted to privileged people in the past. Whoever drank wine first and then beer symbolized social descent. But if you first enjoyed a beer and then grabbed some wine, you “climbed up”.
- Does beer make you fat?
YES – It’s true that beer contains a lot of calories. In direct comparison to wine or sparkling wine, however, beer is a “lightweight”. This is primarily due to alcohol, which contains twice as much energy as sugar. Also mean: Alcohol inhibits fat breakdown and stimulates the appetite. So it’s usually not the one beer after work that produces the proverbial beer belly in men, but chips, pretzel sticks, or nuts, which are nibbled on as an appetite suppressant.
- Is non-alcoholic beer healthy?
YES – Yes, non-alcoholic beer is healthier than a full beer. It has fewer calories, puts less strain on the liver, and some non-alcoholic beers are isotonic. This means that their composition is similar to human body fluids and the fluid benefits the body directly. However, this is negligible for amateur athletes. If you run a marathon every week, you have to be very careful about hydrating your body. For occasional athletes, it is advisable to cover the majority of the fluid requirements with water. By the way: Alcohol-free beer is not really alcohol-free. It may contain a maximum of 0.5% vol. alcohol in order to be declared alcohol-free.
