Germany
German brewers turned the pale lager of Plzeň into Pils, built the malty lagers of Munich, Helles, Märzen and Dunkel, and the strong bocks the monks drank in Lent. Cologne and Düsseldorf kept their top-fermented Kölsch and Altbier, Bavaria its wheat beer, and Berlin and Leipzig their sour Weisse and Gose.
Beer styles from Germany
German Pils
LagerGerman Pils: a pale, dry, bitter lager with a bright hop aroma, adapted from the Czech original in the 1870s. Strength, bitterness, glass and classic examples.
Märzen
LagerMärzen: an amber German lager with rich, toasty malt and a dry finish, brewed in March and served at Oktoberfest until 1990. Strength, bitterness, glass and examples.
Munich Helles
LagerMunich Helles: a gold Bavarian lager, soft and malty with a dry finish, created in Munich in 1894. Strength, bitterness, glass and classic examples.
Weissbier
AleWeissbier (Hefeweizen): a pale, cloudy Bavarian wheat beer with banana and clove from its yeast and a huge fluffy head. Strength, bitterness, glass and examples.
Doppelbock
LagerDoppelbock: a strong, rich, malty Bavarian lager, the 'liquid bread' Munich monks drank in Lent. Strength, bitterness, glass and classic examples.
Kölsch
HybridKölsch: a pale, delicate, top-fermented beer from Cologne, matured cold like a lager and served in a 20 cl Stange. Strength, bitterness, glass and classic examples.
Munich Dunkel
LagerMunich Dunkel: a brown Bavarian lager with toasted, bready malt and no roast, developed at Spaten in the 1830s. Strength, bitterness, glass and classic examples.
Altbier
HybridAltbier: a copper, bitter, malty ale from Düsseldorf, fermented cool and matured cold like a lager. Strength, bitterness, glass and classic examples.
Berliner Weisse
Wild & sourBerliner Weisse: a pale, sour, fizzy, low-alcohol wheat beer from Berlin, the 'Champagne of the North'. Strength, sourness, glass and classic examples.
Gose
Wild & sourGose: a tart, hazy wheat beer from Leipzig, brewed with salt and coriander and revived after it died out in 1966. Strength, glass and classic examples.