Germany - "Prost"
Our Cheers Around the World series is a celebration to those cultures across the globe and their expression of goodwill through the ceremonial clink. Next stop: Germany! Prost!
Drink of Choice: Beer
This goes without saying, but Germans are serious about their beer. They rank third worldwide in annual beer consumption, consuming a stunning 28 gallons per capita, and are Europe’s biggest beer producers. Despite Germany’s status as an industry giant, beer production is largely regulated by “Reinheitsgebot”, a beer purity law instated in 1516. This law states that lager beer must only be made from water, hops, barley, and later, yeast. It was designed to keep German beer pure, natural, and free from additives such as spices, sugars, and other grains. While ale production has more flexibility, most Germans today still proudly stand by this traditional, pure recipe.
It's 5 o'clock somewhere...
Alcohol is central to German culture, and drinking is normalized as part of everyday life. The legal drinking age for beer is 16 (and 18 for liquor), and drinking in public is widely accepted, further legitimizing the presence of alcohol consumption.
Not only is drinking prevalent everywhere, but it’s also prevalent anytime. In the state of Bavaria specifically, it’s not uncommon to enjoy a Hefeweizen (a traditional German wheat beer) in the morning. In fact, it’s common to enjoy a beer during “brotzeit”, or “second breakfast”. Not only is it a tasty tradition, but it has health benefits, too! Germans claim that a Hefeweizen’s fermentation process helps with digestion and aids the metabolism.
Always Remember to “Prost”!
Germans toast to just about anything in the spirit of camaraderie. They’ll celebrate with a “prost” to a new round of drinks, when someone announces good news, or for no reason at all. However, when toasting, they have one simple rule: always clink glasses with everyone participating, and always make eye-contact while toasting. If you don’t, you’ll have seven years of bad sex, according to a German drinking myth.
Oktoberfest: The World’s Largest Beer Festival.
Oktoberfest started in 1810 as a marriage celebration between Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig to the Saxon-Hildburghausen Princess Therese. They invited the citizens of Munich to join the festivities over a 5 day period, and the tradition has continued (and grown) ever since. The beer traditionally served at Oktoberfest is called Märzen, which is darker and stronger than the traditional lager. As the name suggests, Märzen was originally brewed in March, allowing it to age through the summer so that it’s ready to drink by late summer/early fall. Of course, the Oktoberfest beer is brewed according to Reinheitsgebot, consisting of only barley, hops, malt, and yeast.
Let’s make a German Radler!
Ingredients
- 1 bottle of lager beer (bonus points if you can snag a German beer)
- 1 bottle of lemon soda (try citrus sodas made with real sugar)
Instructions
- Fill a glass about 75% full with the lager
- Pour the lemon soda to fill it to the top!
- Prost!