German Beer Styles Essay

Beer Styles and Beer History in Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany Beer is one of the oldest alcoholic beverages recorded in human history. The first forms of beer were documented in Mesopotamia 3000 years BC as well as in Europe around the same time. Ever since then beer became an important part of German culture and lifestyle. It rose to become the national drink and the emblem of the people. There is hardly a second country in the world where there is a greater variety of beer than in Germany. Each state has its own varieties and favorites of beer styles and breweries. This paper is about the beer history in Germany as well as beer styles in Baden-Wurttemberg, the southwest of Germany. From the early Middle Ages, onwards the popularity of beer arose and monks started brewing beer commercially, with abbeys Weihenstephan and St. Gallen being pioneers. Brewing beer came with a lot of regulations and taxes due to the high consumption. The sale and brewing of …show more content…
Due to its bottom-fermentation brewing this beer is longer lasting than Pilsner. Therefore, it was one of the first beers to be exported overseas, which gave the Export its name. The beer was brewed to a high alcohol content and adjusted at the destination – it was stretched to the desired drinking strength. This reduced transport costs. The export is a bright beer with a full-bodied tarty and malty flavor. Export can be light or dark beer. Traditionally this beer was stronger than all the other beers. Another favorite is the bottom-fermented cellar beer, which is also called Zwickelbier. It has a short shelf life and should be drunk immediately. Most of the time this beer is available directly in its breweries or adjoining restaurants. It has an amber color and its full-bodied taste is spicy, whit a pleasant bitter and malty flavor. It is unfiltered and contains natural floats and sludge. Drinking cellar beer in moderation is healthy because of its vitamins and