Let’s drink to German beer!

Beer has become synonymous with Germany as champagne has become the drink of the French, Vodka for Russians, Sherry for the Spaniards and Tequila for the Mexicans. Travelers from all over the world know that one of the best things about Germany is its beer. Clean, crisp, strong-flavored and full-bodied, the German brew has its roots in ale-making instead of lager-brewing.

In the olden times, everything was made in the home, including ale. Germans used to brew their own ale back in the 8th century.

The power struggle between the secular and the religious found its way in ale making. In the 11th century, professional brewmonks and brewnuns of the Benedictine order took over and institutionalized the practice. They were the ones who started using hops in brewing as it made for a good bittering and preserving agent in the brewing process.

By the 12th century, feudal lords took control of the ale brewing from the religious orders in the southern portion of Germany by setting up their own Hofbräuhaus or court brewhouse. This is because the feudal lords realized how profitable the practice had become. They were the ones to discover the importance of the brewing temperature in the fermentation process.

At the same time, burgher merchants institutionalized brewing in the northern portion of Germany. These emerging businessmen considered beer making, along with minerals, dry goods and fur trading as valuable and highly profitable businesses. It was these merchants who soon exported and traded beer, sending caskets of German ale to England, Scandinavia, Flanders, and as far as the Far East.

The Germans have been brewing brown lager for 500 years. On the other hand, the blond lagers that we now all enjoy have only been brewing for a century and a half, while pale pilsens that use hops only emerged about three decades ago. Over the years, the process of perfecting the brew evolved, thanks to various discoveries and advancements in science. It was in the 19th century when laws were passed to institutionalize and standardize the practice so that certain types of beer had to conform to specific standards.

Today, Germany is home to over a thousand breweries scattered around the country. That’s the most number of breweries for any country in the world. These breweries produce about a hundred million barrels of beer a year, or 115 million hectoliters of the delicious brew. Each German consumes 140 liters or 37 gallons of beer annually. That’s almost twice the consumption of the average American, who drinks about 85 liters or 22 gallons annually. Also, the legal beer-drinking age in the country is 16 years old.

Today’s German beer is made of hops, water and barley malt. Brewers need to follow strict standards and adhere to the purity law called Reinheitsgebot, or the Bavarian Purity Law / German Beer Purity Law of 1487. This results in a clean, crisp flavor with no aftertaste.

Beer in Germany comes in different styles depending on the region from which the beer originated. And that is the way that Germans order their beer. Pils or Pilsner is the most common and available almost everywhere in Germany and its origin is from Bohemia, which is located east of Bavaria. Kellerbier comes from Franconia; Kölsch is a Cologne specialty while the Altbier or Old Beer is from Düsseldorf and may be difficult to find in southern Bavaria, where Weissbier is popular. Bock and Berliner Weisse are from Rhineland. Märzen is March Beer, specially used during Oktoberfest. Beer with the word “helles” in it means that the beer is light in color only and not in alcohol or calorie content.

Every year, Oktoberfest is held in Munich to celebrate this delicious brew. These celebrations start at the end of September and last for two weeks in early to mid-October. This is one of the celebrations that travelers must go to and see how Germans celebrate the beer festival first hand. About five million travelers make their way to join the Oktoberfest celebrations in Munich, Germany, thus making it one of the biggest celebrations centered on beer in the world.

Travelers who want a taste of German beer can do so at any number of pubs around the country. Don’t wait to be seated and simply choose a seat yourself. You’ll soon notice that Germans are a friendly lot. You may want to participate in a game of Stiefeltrinken or boot drinking. In this beer drinking game, a glass boot is filled with a liter of beer and is passed around the table. The object of the game is to avoid getting splattered with the remaining ale as the levels go down. Whoever gets splashed in the face pays for the next round.

This dish is over 2, 000 years old, dating back to the time of the Romans. Various regions make their own variations of the dish, including local versions from Rhineland, Saarland, Silesia, Swabia and Franconia.

In the olden times, horse meat was used, such as in the town of Eschweiler. Today, any type of meat can be used such as venison or other wild game.

Charlemagne is credited to have developed the recipe for sauerbraten. In the 9th century, he combined leftover roasted meat with some of the ingredients and came up with the delicious dish. It is said that in the 13th century, Albert of Cologne, also known as Saint Albertus Magnus, later improved the recipe by using fresh meat.

Travelers should try this dish served with boiled potatoes, red cabbage or potato dumplings called “kartoffelkloesse.” It is also served with noodles. It is best enjoyed with a pint of beer, although some prefer to eat it with a glass of red wine.

Germany is credited for making the automobile, thanks to the combined efforts of Karl Benz and Nikolaus Otto. In 1870, these two men made the four-stroke internal combustion engine, which Benz placed in a coach or vehicle in 1887. Thus, the modern day motor vehicle was born.

Germany was already producing 900 automobile units annually as early as 1901. It was in 1926 when the auto company Daimler-Benz was created, which manufactured cars called Mercedes-Benz. BMW or Bavaria Motor Works was founded earlier in 1916, but it wasn’t until 1928 when they began car production. Prior to the Great Depression, there were as many as 86 auto companies in Germany. After the depression, only 12 remained. Today, there are 6 top German automobile companies.

Although Germans first started the industry, it was the Americans who further developed it. This allowed American manufacturers like General Motors to take over Opel in 1929. In spite of this, the German automobile manufacturers continued to make innovations and perfect their design and craftsmanship, leading to the creation of many durable and reliable vehicles.

By the 1930s, the German auto industry started to make a comeback, thanks to the Nazi policy of “motorisierung” or motorization. Adolph Hitler developed major highways and the Volkswagen project was launched to create an affordable yet dependable car for the masses. This eventually resulted in the production of the Volkswagen Beetle, which hit ten million units by 1965 and is one of the most classic and iconic automobile designs in the world.

After the war, the German automakers once again revived the auto industry. West and East Germany both produced cars, although the west was more technically advanced and produced more commercial vehicles. Mercedes-Benz, Opel, Volkswagen and BMW manufactured several vehicles.

At the end of the 20th century, German automakers bought out or made collaborations with other automakers around the world. Daimler-Benz and Chrysler Corporation created the Smart automobile in 1998. BMW also acquired the British car manufacturer Rover Group in 1994, but later sold it in 2000.

There are today six major German automobile companies: BMW AG, Volkswagen AG, Daimler AG, Dr. Ing. H.c. F. Porsche AG, Ford-Werke GmbH and Adam Opel AG. Combined, these companies produce close to six million vehicles domestically, with another five million made overseas. This has helped make Germany one of the top four auto manufacturers in the world following the US, China and Japan. Volkswagen is considered one of the top three auto manufacturing companies in the world.

All over the world, German automobiles have become synonymous with luxury, durability and reliability. Some of the top German brands are Audi, BMW (which produces the Mini Marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce), Mercedes-Benz (the oldest auto company in the world is 125 years old), Opel, Porsche and Volkswagen.