Germany

It’s Always Time for German Beer!

There’s a reason that German beer is a benchmark for beer-lovers around the world: Because it’s reliably delicious, wildly food-friendly, and typically very affordable. What makes it so special? Let’s take a deep dive into the world of German suds to find out.

What is German style beer?

German beer is any beer that’s made in Germany, and German style beer typically refers to beers, produced anywhere in the world, that follow the laws of production that govern beer-brewing in Germany. And yes, there are strict laws that determine how proper German beer is brewed. It’s called Reinheitsgebot, and this “purity law” or “purity order” maintains that German beer may only be made of water, hops, and barley (and, of course, yeast, though that ingredient isn’t specified in the 16th-century law). Today, however, other ingredients may be used in German brewing, but if they are, then the label of the product cannot say “beer.”

How many types of beer are there in Germany?

What are the different styles of German beer? There are too many to count easily! German beer comes in many different styles. Among the most popular are Radler (which is lager combined with a citrus-flavored soda), German grapefruit beer (somewhat like a shandy), German lager, German pilsner, Witbier, Kolsch, Bock, Marzen, Helles (also called a Helles Lager), Dunkel, Altbier, Schwarzbier, Berliner Weisse, Kellerbier, and one of the most famous examples of German beer Hefeweizen.

What are the most popular German lager beers?

People often ask what popular brands of German beer are? Some of the most popular and beloved brands of German beer are Bitburger, Hofbrau, Paulaner, Rasselbock, Franziskaner, Weihenstephaner, Spaten, and Ayinger, among many others.

What is the most popular beer in Germany?

It’s generally agreed that pilsner is the most popular style of beer in Germany. Pilsner is a lager-style beer with notable hoppiness and a lighter body that makes it uniquely thirst-quenching and useful at the table alongside a wide range of foods. According to statista.com, the most popular German beer brand sold in Germany, by volume, is Beck’s.

What is the most popular German beer sold in America?

As American craft brewing has taken off in recent years, more and more consumers in the United States are discovering the range and brilliance of German beer, too. Finding statistics on which German beer is the most popular in the United States is difficult, but suffice it to say that German beer as a category is having a serious resurgence in critical acclaim and widespread popularity in the United States right now.

Browse our full selection of German beer online or check out our selection of highly-rated German beer for a great new German beer to try this week!

Want to learn more about beer?

Visit our Guide to Beer to learn more about beer.