German beer

German beer is highly diverse and an important part of German culture. There are approximately 1300 breweries in Germany, more than in any other country except the United States, which is 1500. [2] The German beer market is somewhat sheltered from the rest of the world beer market by the German breweries compliance with the Reinheitsgebot ( "beer purity law") dates from 1516 (and last updated in the Vorläufiges Biergesetz of 1993), according to which the only permissible ingredients of beer are water, hops and barley malt. This law also requires the beers not only the use of barley malt (such as wheat and rye) high summit of fermentation. [3] Many breweries in the world has the purity of their own beers. After his discovery, yeast fourth legal ingredient, but for high fermentation beers on the use of sugar is also allowed. In part as a result of this law (which since 1988 has not applied to imported beer, but is still required for the German brewers), beer from Germany have a reputation of high quality. The Germans are behind only the Czechs in their per capita consumption of beer.

There is a variety of different types of German beer, such as:

* The top-fermented beers
o Altbier - a dark, orange, beer brewed hops Düsseldorf and around Lower Rhine. 11-12 ° Plato, 4.5-5%.
o Kölsch - light, light-bodied, beer, which can only legally be brewed in the Cologne region. 11-12 ° Plato, 4.5-5%.
o Weizen - white 12-12.5 ° Plato, 5-5.6%.
o Weizenbock - strong, dark wheat beer. 16-17 ° Plato, 6.5-8%.
o Berliner Weisse - a pale, very sour, wheat beer brewed in Berlin. Usually drunk with the addition of fruit syrup. 9 ° Plato, 2.5-5%.
o Leipziger Lambiek - an orange, very sour, wheat beer brewed around Leipzig. It was between 1966 and 1985, when it was revived by Lothar Goldhahn. 10-12 ° Plato, 4-5%.
o Roggenbier - a rather dark beer with rye, slightly grainy taste similar to bread, 4.5-6%.

* Bottom-fermented beers
o Helles - a pale, malty lager from Bavaria of 11-12 ° Plato, 4.5-5%
o Schwarzbier - a bottom-fermented, dark lager beer with a full, roasty, chocolatey taste. 11-12 ° Plato, 4.5-5%.
o Pilsner - a pale blond beer with a light body and a more prominent hop. 11-12 ° Plato, 4.5-5%. By far the most popular style, with approximately two thirds of the market.
o Export - a pale lager brewed around Dortmund, which is fuller, maltier and hops less than Pilsner. 12-12.5 ° Plato, 5-5.5%. Germany's most popular style in the 1950's and 1960's, it is increasingly rare.
o Spezial - a pale, full, bitter-sweet and delicate jumps lager. 13-13.5 ° Plato, 5.5-5.7%.
o Dunkel - dark blond beer is available in two variants: the sweetish, malty Munich style and the dryer, hops Frankish style
o Rauchbier - usually dark in color and a smoky taste of the use of smoked malt. A speciality of the region Bamberg. 12-13 ° Plato, 5-5.5%.
o Bock - an orange, heavy-bodied, bitter-sweet lager. 16-17 ° Plato, 6.5-7%.
o Dunkles Bock - a strong, full-bodied lager darkened by high-colored malts. 16-17 ° Plato, 6.5-7%.
o Maibock - a pale, strong lager brewed in the spring. 16-17 ° Plato, 6.5-7%.
o Doppelbock - a very strong, very full-bodied lager darkened by high-colored malts. 18-28 ° Plato, 8-12%.
o Eisbock - a freeze distilled variation of Doppelbock. 18-28 ° Plato, 9-15%.
o Marz - medium body, malty beers we blond, amber and dark varieties. 13-14 ° Plato, 5.2-6%. The type of beer traditionally served at the Oktoberfest in Munich.

Many of the types of beer are also available in combination with alcohol, reduced or added.