The 11 Best German Beers to Drink in 2023 (2024)

FAQs

What is the No 1 beer in Germany? ›

Pilsner. By far the most popular type of beer in Germany is pilsner, generally known as 'Pils'. The light-golden beer with the dry hoppy aroma is very popular in the North, West and East. The name goes back to the Czech town of Pilsen.

The most popular beer brand in Germany is Krombacher from Krombach. Other leading names include Beck's and Warsteiner. All three brands produce a variety of beers and beer-based drinks, as well as non-alcoholic beer.

1. Augustiner Helles: Best German Helles-style lager. Made entirely from Bavarian hops and malt and given a long, careful secondary fermentation, this offering from Augustiner is not only a fine example of the Helles style, it's regarded by beer fans as one of the top lagers in the world.

Quality. While both American and German beers can be high quality, you're much more likely to find cheaper, weaker beers in America. For some, these reasonably priced beers are a benefit. But if you're looking for strong, high quality, traditional beers, German beer might be a better bet.

Since 1040 beer has been brewed on the Weihenstephan Hill in Freising.

Rauchbier: Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier

Rauchbier, or “smoke beer,” is a very unusual style. The beer itself is a lot like Oktoberfest with sweet and malty flavors, but the smoke flavoring adds a completely unexpected element to the profile. Some drinkers describe the flavor to be like beef jerky or even leather.

Most Popular Overall: No surprise here. Heineken is one of the most beloved beers on the planet. Most Popular Pilsner: The original pils, Pilsner Urquell. It's still brewed according to its original recipe.

Why German beer is the best? ›

For over 500 years, the German Purity Law has ensured clearly regulated ingredients: Water, malt, hops, yeast - and nothing else. Anything else is not beer. After all, the so-called "Purity Law" is not to be trifled with. It is far more than a pure promise of quality.

Another brewery unabashedly embracing that approach is BRLO in Berlin. “BRLO IPA is definitely an imitation,” says Michael Lembke, BRLO's brewmaster. “[It's] an only-pilsner-malt, Simcoe-hot-side, dry-and-bitter IPA at 6.5 percent ABV.

A bottle of Budweiser beer. The slogan was changed to the “King of Beers” in the mid-twentieth century as aluminum cans became a more popular form of packaging. It's still in use today and is featured predominately on Budweiser labels.

Budweiser. Budweiser beer is an American lager brewed by Anheuser-Busch. With the unofficial title of “The King of Beers,” it is no wonder why Budweiser tops this list of America's most popular beers.

Corona and Bud Light are the most well-known beer brands in the United States. Both these brands are recognized by 85% of respondents in the U.S. Next on the list is the most valuable beer brand in the world, Budweiser, reaching a brand awareness of 84%.

Top Shelf is an American-style lager brewed with noble hops and Canadian malt. It's an easy-drinking 4.5% alc./vol., handcrafted to please craft beer drinkers as well as the mainstream beer market.

Mineral water is by far the most purchased and consumed beverage in Germany. Around 86 percent of the population bought it in 2022. Germans are known for their preference of fizzy drinking water. Other top three beverages in this ranking included fruit juices, drinks and nectars, as well as caffeinated coffee.

1- Jägermeister

Jägermeister is undoubtedly Germany's most popular alcoholic beverage after beer. What is this? This herbal liqueur is as complex as it is delicious, comprising 56 different herbs that many believe give Jägermeister medicinal properties. This digestif was created in 1934.

The beer preferred in most of Germany is Pils (Pilsner), which has a rich yellow hue, hoppy flavor, and an alcohol content of about 5%. Frankfurt's local Pils brands are Binding and Henninger, but Licher, from the village of Lich nearby, is especially well balanced and crisp.

Berliner Weisse – this is probably the most famous Berlin beer.

What beer to order in Munich? ›

from the southern German state of Bavaria. Served in a tall glass, the golden-colored Weißbier (including the famous Hefeweizen) is a favorite among the Bavarians of Munich. Be sure to order a Weißbier during your Fat Tire Tour of Munich – they'll think you're one of the locals!

Drink like a German

German-inspired lager in America, e.g., Bud Light, Coors Light and Yuengling, often clocks in between 3.5% and 4.5% alcohol by volume (ABV), whereas their authentic German counterparts fall more into the 4.5% to 5.5% range.

Although many Austrians, Germans, and German-speaking Swiss enjoy a good glass of wine or a lighter wine cooler (Schorle or Gespritzten, a mixture of sparkling water and wine), they consume far less wine than beer or even mineral water.

Beer drinking is such a large part of German culture, it has its own word “Bierernst“. This translate yes as “serious beer” which highlights just how important beer is to Germans! Oktoberfest is the most famous beer festival in the world and symbolizes Germany's love of beer drinking.

1. Budweiser. Budweiser, sometimes known as “the king of beers,” has been the number one beer in the world for a long while.

Its origins are German

Tsingtao is one of the oldest beer brands in China, first started by Germans who settled there in the early 20th century. Its home city, Qingdao, was a German colony from 1898 to 1914. Homesick for pilsner, a group of German businessmen established a brewery in 1903.

Whether in the Paulanergarden on the esplanade, in the Paulaner fan meeting zone, or at any of the many stands: Fans always get fresh and mature Paulaner beer specialties during the FC Bayern München home games.

Augustiner, Hacker-Pschorr, Hofbräu, Löwenbräu, Paulaner, and Spaten. Only beer from Munich breweries may be served on the Wiesn, as custom dictates. Already weeks before the starting signal for Oktoberfest, the breweries present their newly brewed Wiesn beer and increase the anticipation of the highlight of the year.

What is the most popular beer at Oktoberfest? ›

Today, Paulaner's Oktoberest Bier is the most-served beer at Oktoberfest in Munich. Although still slightly malty, these lighter-bodied festbiers are super drinkable and perfect for the two-week-long celebration.

The word Humpen translated from German to English means tankard. This is the referenced used in Berlin and the northern part of Germany when referring to a German Beer Stein. The tankard itself is reference to a large cylindrical shaped vessel that has a handle on it.

Weihenstephan was a Benedictine monastery in Weihenstephan, now part of the district of Freising, in Bavaria, Germany. This Bavarian State Brewery Weihenstephan is located at the monastery site since at least 1040. It is the world's oldest continuously operating brewery.

Schorschbock 57 by Schorschbräu is the most expensive beer produced in Germany and a 375 ml bottle cost $275. It was also considered the strongest beer in the world and has a 57 percent ABV. However, other beers were produced after it with an ABV higher than 60 percent.

Some call Munich the beer capital of the world. This year, the city's legendary Oktoberfest is back for the first time since 2019, and many of its sessions are already booked out.

Based on our extensive research, we found over 70 local and regional German beer brands that are available in the United States and Canada and can be purchased at restaurants and retailers across the continent.

Dunkel, or Dunkles, is a word used for several types of dark German lager. Dunkel is the German word meaning "dark", and dunkel beers typically range in color from amber to dark reddish brown. They are characterized by their smooth, malty flavor.

If you like the taste of Blue Moon—or Hoegaarden, another popular example—and want to broaden your horizons, start looking for (and asking for) witbier, weissbier, or hefeweizen at your local bar or beer store.

1- Jägermeister

Jägermeister is undoubtedly Germany's most popular alcoholic beverage after beer. What is this? This herbal liqueur is as complex as it is delicious, comprising 56 different herbs that many believe give Jägermeister medicinal properties. This digestif was created in 1934.

What is a typical German beer? ›

Pils. This is the most common beer found in most parts of the country and almost certainly what springs to mind when most folks conjure up a “typical German beer” in their head. The word Pils actually is short for Pilsener (or Pilsner) meaning coming from the city of Pilsen.

Pilsner. What is this? This simple beer is a lager style and is actually the National Drink of Germany.

Wheat beers

One culture in which beer for breakfast has a particularly long history is Germany, and a tall vase of hefeweizen is the traditional accompaniment to the “second breakfast” common in Bavaria.

Jägermeister (/ˈjeɪɡərmaɪstər/ YAY-gər-my-stər, German: [ˈjɛːɡɐˌmaɪstɐ] ( listen); stylized Jägermeiſter) is a German digestif made with 56 herbs and spices. Developed in 1934 by Wilhelm and Curt Mast, it has an alcohol by volume of 35% (61 degrees proof, or US 70 proof).

German Beer. When it comes to American beer vs German beer, it's all about the difference in culture. Above all, Germans value tradition, quality, purity, high alcohol content, and national pride. If you're tired of drinking Coors or Budweiser, it might be time to give German beer a try.

Corona and Bud Light are the most well-known beer brands in the United States. Both these brands are recognized by 85% of respondents in the U.S. Next on the list is the most valuable beer brand in the world, Budweiser, reaching a brand awareness of 84%.

The beer preferred in most of Germany is Pils (Pilsner), which has a rich yellow hue, hoppy flavor, and an alcohol content of about 5%. Frankfurt's local Pils brands are Binding and Henninger, but Licher, from the village of Lich nearby, is especially well balanced and crisp.