German Beer Day

German Beer Day - Tuesday, April 23, 2024

Beer Food & Drink

Are you a fan of beer? That delicious malted beverage with a rich flavor and a thick foam? When your day is coming to an end are you already dreaming about pulling an ice cold beer out of the fridge and relaxing with it in your favorite easy chair? Then you know that the best beers are from Germany, and there’s nothing like a rich German Brew to add a little class to even the smallest event! German Beer Day celebrates the innovation and craftsmanship of German brewers everywhere.

History of German Beer Day

Beer is often thought to have been invented in Egypt, but to have been perfected in Germany. A strong claim for a beverage that has been with us nearly as long as civilization. In fact, we can’t with certainty say that beer was actually invented in Egypt, but we do know that the earliest written records of beer come from there and Mesopotamia. So how did a beverage earliest recorded in the Middle East become perfected in Western Europe?

During the Middle Ages beer was a daily drink consumed by nearly everyone, especially in those areas where the cultivation of the grape wasn’t realistic. Beer was accessible by every tier of society, and while it certainly wasn’t consumed more than water (a popular myth based on the idea that microbes like cholera can’t survive in the alcoholic solution) it was decidedly ubiquitous. It was also highly regulated! The Brewers Company of London had strictures preventing the production of Ale and Beer by the same brewer, strictly defining the permitted contents of both.

This tradition of regulation culminated in Germany with the creation of the Reinheitsgebot, the regulations defining how beer must be brewed in Germany. The regulations demanded purity in the beverage, with only water, barley, and hops being permitted, and even dictates that the hops can only be added during the wort’s boiling stage. Weißbier is one of the most popular forms of German beer, along with Weizenbier, both being types of wheat beer (Their names meaning White and Wheat beer in particular).

How To celebrate German Beer Day

Pour yourself a tall frothy glass of Weißbier, or if you prefer something stronger a sturdy weizebock. Prefer a dark beer with a rye flavor and a texture you could eat with a spoon? Try a Roggenbeir. The options are nearly endless, with Germany producing a significant portion of Europe’s beers. For our palates? We like to go with a Berlin Weisse, there’s just something about the pale color and sour finish that just makes us want to raise another glass. What’s your choice going to be for German Beer Day?

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