Beer Day: How important beer is for Germans | Life & Knowledge
The history of humanity cannot be written without beer. That's why we celebrate the cool blonde beer every first Friday in August: International Beer Day.
Already 13,000 years ago, something like Beer It was served at ceremonies, but probably didn't have much in common with today's version. This predecessor was certainly not subject to the German Purity Law. Because, as we understand it today, it is an invention of the 20th century!
► To celebrate the day, BILD tells you which glass is the right one, how much beer we Germans drink despite rising prices and what to think of the non-alcoholic version.
Drinking from the bottle is taboo!
Every German drinks 92 liters of beer per year. But that doesn't even put us on the winner's podium in Europe. In Poland (93 liters), Austria (102 liters) and the Czech Republic (136 liters) even more beer is consumed per capita.
The German Purity Law dictates that beer is a simple thing. At least when it comes to the ingredients. When it comes to taste, things are different.
► Alt, Weizen, Pils or Rauch – the many different types that are drunk in Germany alone differ greatly in their diverse aromas. To ensure that these are brought out to their full potential, it is essential to choose the right drinking vessel.
By the way, drinking from a bottle is the worst option. You can hardly smell the beer. And the smell is crucial for enjoyment! Because most of the taste is perceived through the nose.
Thirst subsides, prices rise
It is still by far the Germans’ favorite alcoholic beverage. Every German citizen drinks three times more beer than Wine and Schnapps But the prices, which have been rising for years, are causing even the willingness to drink in Germany to decline.
► Beer prices have risen by 28 percent since 2015. The particularly sharp drop in 2020 can of course be attributed to the Covid pandemic Closed pubs and restaurants, cancelled festivals and fairs meant significantly fewer opportunities for consumption. But even apart from that, the Beer consumption has been declining for years.
Alcohol-free beer is becoming increasingly popular. It was first developed in 1972 by master brewer Ulrich Wappler from the VEB Engelhardt brewery in Berlin and presented to the public as “Aubi”, short for car driver's beer.
► In the early years, non-alcoholic beers were unpopular stopgap solutions. It was only in the 1980s that social acceptance for the innocent brother of German culture slowly began to emerge. The popularity it enjoys today was unthinkable back then.
If the alcohol content is less than 0.5 percent, beer can be sold as non-alcoholic. Fruit juices and kefir contain similar amounts of alcohol through fermentation processes.
► The production processes that are necessary for this naturally influence the taste. However, with the right choice of brand, no major restrictions are necessary. BILD did the taste test.
Barley juice, hop cold drink, riot soda, baller broth or liquid bread. Beer has as many names as there are brewing variants. No matter what you call it or how you like to drink it: it is a real cultural asset and is celebrated internationally today. With that in mind: cheers!