Sometimes when people get to know me, they say "Ah, you're from
Germany. I have heard lots about the Oktoberfest. You drink a lot of beer
over ther, don't you?" And I say, "Yes, that's right." "I know German beer,"
they reply, "like Becks, and Heineken, and . . ." that is all the `German' beer
they know. I quietly nod my head and think, `they don't know anything
about German beer; and Heineken, no, that's not even German.' I have
never drunk much myself but if you want to go to Germany, you should
know a little bit about beer. Following the verdict "think globally--drink
locally" and living in Schwaben, we usually choose--to give you an idea of
the local variety--Ganther, Riegeler, Feierling, Rothaus, Matrinsbräu,
Haller Löwenbräu, Sulzbacher Adlerbräu, or Stuttgarter
Hofbräu, neglecting other brands available.
The tradition of beer brewing in Germany goes back to the early middle ages when only monasteries were allowed to brew this soul and body refreshing juice; and only monks were allowed to drink it. Many of the common brand names tell this story. Listen to these names and feel the flavor of these old, traditionally brewed beers: Al-pirs-bach-er Klo-ster- bräu, Klo-ster An-dechs, Al-ten-mün-ster, Mün-ster- bräu, Mönchs-hofer, Ten-nen-bach-er Ur-quell, Lorch-er Tan- nen-zäpf-le. Most of these breweries brew Pils, Pilsner, Export, light Hefeweizen, dark Hefeweizen, and clear Hefeweizen; some even offer Weissbier, Altbier, or Bockbier. To one who has grown up in Germany, it is not too difficult to distinguish between these kinds and brands by their flavor.
Nowadays beer brewing is no longer limited to monasteries and Germany
has breweries like cornfields have ears. I will not go into much detail but
you should have at least heard of some of the famous beer brands before
you go to Germany: Augustiner Bräu, Löwenbräu,
Hexenbräu, Hofbräu, Fürstenberger, Henninger,
Warsteiner, Bitburger, Steinlager, Schierlinger, Edelweiss, Erdinger,
Augsburger, Ayinger, Klaustaler, Dinkel Acker, Hannen Alt,
Sternbräu, Bölkstoff, Jever, Kölsch, and Spaten. Once
you go to Germany you will discover that the variety of beer is actually
much larger than I have suggested here. If you have never drunk much--
don't worry; you will get used to the alcohol much faster than you would
expect.