One of the various things the German people are renowned for is beer. Beer is an important part of their tradition and civilization, with over 1300 different breweries spread across the land. The Czechs and the Irish are the only countries above the Germans with beer drinking per person. The monks started to experiment with brewing around one-thousand A.D. at the origin of German history Eventually, brewing became really profitable for the monks and the country's monarchy began to regulate the production of the brew. The Bavarian Reinheitsgebot, or purity standard, was enacted in fifteen-sixteen and remains the most important and significant component to effect Germanic brewing.
To help make sure that Bavarian beers were only the highest quality the Duke Wilhelm IV authorized the Bavarian Reinheitsgebot. The law states that beers should only be made of barley, hops, and water. Unaltered after almost 500 years, the Reinheitsgebot is the oldest legislation put on drinks on the earth. Yeast is the only inclusion to the list of essential ingredients in the act. Yeast found naturally in the air was what brewers in the past used. Bavarian breweries were quickly considered the best producers of beer because of the tough code of quality following by the purity standard. As the notoriety of the Bavarian breweries spread across the country more and more producers started to follow the proclamation also.
German beers have a long-standing position of producing quality brews made only from the purest ingredients as a result of the Reinheitsgebot. As time went on and Germany started to export beer, some towns became famed brewing spots. The city of Bremen had over six-hundred breweries in it by fifteen-hundred and was the top exporter of beer to Holland, Scandinavia, England, and even as far as India. Einbeck and Braunschweig were a couple of other famous brewing cities. Because of it's hardy flavor and perfect amount of foam most modern-day Germans still choose fabbier, or draft beer, over bottle beer. In use still today, German beer steins became popular around the time the purity standard came about in an effort to prevent further breakouts of the black plague.
During the era of the bubonic plague, Germany started many regulations to keep its people from getting ill. Large amounts of diseased flies would land in people's food and spread the infection. This led to the stein, a beverage container with a hinged lid that could be operated with the thumb so somebody could stop infection and still be able to drink with their free hand. Beer consumption went up exponentially as citizens began to realize the disease spread in dirty conditions with stale pools of water. Steins were originally made of stoneware with pewter lids. German beer steins started to be crafted entirely of pewter for nearly 300 years as the pewter guild became more powerful. Eventually, porcelain and silver steins were introduced and continue to be produced in the present.
Over five-thousand types of beer are made today from over thirteen-hundred and fifty breweries within Germany's lands. The Benedictine abbey Weihenstephan, which has been manufacturing beer since 1040, is considered the oldest brewery in the world. The Franconia region of Bavaria by the city Bamberg is the highest concentrated area for beer makers in Germany. German breweries produce a large range of flavors and brands of beer with the majority of them able to be placed under ales or lagers. Some kinds of beer may have an alcoholic content as high as 12%, making them more potent than many wines even though most beers have an alcoholic content ranging from 4.7% to 5.4%.
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Michael Usry is a long-time beer lover and contributing author for "Beer Maniac" fanzine in Austin, Tx. He is also a top affiliate at beer tap handles, and german beer steins, websites for household draft beer accessories.
