German Beer: Where To Buy The Best Brews

German beer is a beloved beverage for many, and for good reason. It is renowned for its delicious taste, food-friendly nature, and affordability. German beer is typically brewed according to Reinheitsgebot, a purity law that dictates the use of only water, hops, and barley (with yeast as an implicit ingredient). This strict adherence to tradition results in a wide variety of beer styles, including Radler, German lager, German pilsner, Witbier, Kolsch, and many more. When it comes to purchasing German beer, several online retailers, such as CraftShack, BelgianStyleAles, Woods Wholesale Wine, and GotoLiquorStore, offer a diverse range of options. Additionally, local stores like Uptown Beverage in Schenectady, NY, provide a selection of German beers for beer enthusiasts. Whether shopping online or in-store, German beer is widely accessible, allowing enthusiasts to enjoy the unique and delightful experience that German brewing has to offer.

German beer online

German beer is a benchmark for beer lovers around the world, and for good reason. The country's love affair with the beverage goes back more than 1,000 years, resulting in a wide variety of brews and flavours. While the number of breweries has decreased over the past 50 years, from over 3,000 to 1,600, most German towns and cities still pride themselves on their local brew.

There are several online vendors that sell German beer. GotoLiquorStore, for example, offers German beer for sale, but requires users to enter their address and verify their age before browsing. Drizly is another online store that sells German beer, promising delivery in under 60 minutes. Saveur Bière is a France-based online vendor that claims to have the largest beer choice on the internet. Lastly, Total Wine & More offers a wide selection of German beers available for pickup, including popular brands such as Paulaner, Weihenstephaner, Beck's, and Ayinger.

German beer in the US

German beer is widely available in the US, with over 70 local and regional German brands sold across the country.

Where to Buy German Beer in the US

German beer can be purchased at specialist beer and liquor stores, as well as major retailers, and is also served in restaurants and bars. Some stores offer same-day delivery.

Popular German Beer Brands in the US

• Paulaner
• Weihenstephaner
• Spaten
• Beck's
• Bitburger
• Warsteiner
• Franziskaner
• Hofbräu
• Hacker-Pschorr
• Augustiner Bräu
• Ayinger
• Erdinger
• DAB
• Flensburger
• Radeberger Pils
• Weltenburger Pils
• Andechser
• Benediktiner
• BraufactM
• Clausthaler
• Diebels Alt
• Einbecker
• EKU
• Friedenfelser
• Früh Kölsch
• Gosebrauerei Bayerischer Bahnhof
• Hirschbräu
• Hofbräuhaus Traunstein
• Julius Echter
• Koenig Ludwig
• Kulmbacher Reichelbräu
• König
• Köstritzer
• Löwenbräu
• Maisel
• Pinkus Muller
• Reissdorf Kölsch
• Riedenburger
• Rothaus Tannenzäpfle
• Schneider Weisse
• Schoefferhofer Grapefruit
• St. Pauli Girl
• Stiegl
• Tucher
• Uerige
• Würzburger
• Zoller-Hof
• Carlsberg Pilsner
• Leffe

German Beer Styles

German beer comes in a wide range of styles, including lager, pilsner, wheat beer, doppelbock, and radler.

German beer in Germany

German beer is any beer that's made in Germany, and German-style beer refers to beers produced anywhere in the world that follow the laws of production that govern beer brewing in Germany. According to the German Brewer Foundation, there are so many beers in Germany that a person could try a new one every day for 15 years.

Germany's love affair with beer has existed for more than 1,000 years, resulting in many types of brews and flavours. Although the number of breweries has decreased over the past 50 years from over 3,000 to 1,600, most towns and cities still have a local brew they're proud of.

Some of the most popular and beloved German beer brands include Bitburger, Hofbrau, Paulaner, Rasselbock, Franziskaner, Weihenstephaner, Spaten, and Ayinger, among many others.

Pilsner is the most popular style of beer in Germany. It's a lager-style beer with notable hoppiness and a lighter body that makes it very thirst-quenching. According to statista.com, the most popular German beer brand sold in Germany, by volume, is Beck's.

If you're looking to buy German beer in Germany, you can try local supermarkets, liquor stores, and beer shops. You can also visit breweries and beer gardens to sample fresh brews and purchase your favourites. Many German towns and cities have their own local breweries, so you can explore and support regional craft beer culture.

German beer styles

Pilsner

The pilsner is the most popular style of German beer, holding around two-thirds of the market. It is a pale lager with a light body and a prominent hop character. German pilsners tend to be lighter in body, drier, and a touch more bitter than their Czech counterparts, but both should be easy to drink and refreshing.

Helles

Helles is a malty pale lager from Bavaria, usually with an ABV of around 4.5% to 5%. It is less hoppy than a Czech pilsner, with a more malt-driven style that often leans towards the sweeter end of the spectrum.

Bock

Bock is a class of beers that range in colour from fairly light (Maibock) to quite dark (Doppelbock and Eisbock). Traditional bock sits in the middle—amber to brown in colour, it is a strong, very malty lager with an ABV of around 6% to 7%. Expect a toasty, bready, slightly sweet flavour. Maibocks are a springtime variation that is lighter in colour and a bit hoppier with a floral bitterness.

Doppelbock

Doppelbock is a stronger, even maltier version of bock. Born of a monastic tradition of brewing beers to sustain monks during Lenten fasting, the original was first brewed by the monks at Munich's Paulaner brewery. Doppelbocks tend to be very dark in colour, but can also be fairly pale. Expect a very rich beer with a lot of caramelized sugar flavour. Darker examples can taste chocolatey and dark fruity. They usually have an ABV of 6% to 9%.

Eisbock

Eisbocks are an even bigger and boozier version of Doppelbock. They are made by freezing and removing a portion of water from the beer during production, resulting in a highly concentrated body, flavour, and alcohol content. Eisbocks have an ABV of around 9% to 15% and pack a boozy, fruity, and intense punch.

Oktoberfest/Märzen/Dunkel/Vienna Lager

Oktoberfest and Märzen are generally used interchangeably to describe one style, though Vienna and Dunkel lagers are similar beers with a slightly different history. All of these beers are malty lagers with an amber-brown colour and a clean, neutral yeast flavour. None of these beers are hop-driven, and they are all about showcasing the malt.

Schwarzbier

Schwarzbier is the darkest of all German lagers. Despite its ominous appearance, it is an easy drinker with an ABV of around 5%. Roasty bitterness is fairly restrained, and it does not taste like a stout. Expect a lightly bready malt character backed up by a touch of roast and hop bitterness.

Hefeweizen

When it comes to ales, Germany is most famous for its wheat beers, or Hefeweizens. Poured into towering vase-like glasses, this cloudy specialty is all about the yeast. The beer's cloudy appearance and powerful banana and clove-like aromatics are the result of an unusual yeast strain. It usually has an ABV of between 5% and 6%.

Dunkelweizen

Dunkelweizen is a darker variation of Hefeweizen. It takes on a caramelly, dark-fruit-like flavour that some liken to liquid banana bread.

Weizenbock

Weizenbock is a stronger and more flavourful version of Hefeweizen and Dunkelweizen.

Altbier

Altbier is an unusual specialty from Düsseldorf. It is fermented cooler than most ales, with a yeast that operates best just above the temperatures usually reserved for lagers. This process allows rich, nutty, bready malt character to shine, alongside a firm, spicy, floral hop bitterness. Most have an ABV of around 5%, but stronger variations exist.

Kölsch

Kölsch is also unusual in its fermentation process, which is fermented a touch warmer than Altbier. It has a delicate, mildly fruity flavour profile and a relatively assertive hop profile, with a more mellow pale malt presence. It is an easy-drinking beer with an ABV of about 5%.

Berliner Weisse

Berliner Weisse is a tart wheat beer soured through fermentation with the bacteria Lactobacillus, which produces lactic acid. It is a popular style among American craft brewers and often features lemon, peach, or raspberry infusions. It usually has a very low ABV of between 3% and 5%.

Gose

Gose is another sour wheat beer, soured with the aid of Lactobacillus, but with the addition of salt and coriander. It is cloudy, tart, and spicy, and one of the most refreshing beers you can drink. Most servings have an ABV of between 4% and 5%.

German beer laws

German beer is governed by a set of laws called the Reinheitsgebot, or "purity laws", which dictate the ingredients and methods that can be used in beer production. The most well-known version of the law was adopted in Bavaria in 1516 by Duke Wilhelm IV, but similar regulations existed beforehand, and modern regulations differ from the original Bavarian version.

The 1516 Bavarian law stated that the only ingredients that could be used in beer production were water, barley, and hops. Yeast was notably absent from the list, although it was used in the brewing process. This was likely because brewers of the time viewed yeast as a fixture of the process rather than an ingredient, as yeast from one batch would be transferred to the next. The full chemical basis of yeast and its role in fermentation was not understood until much later.

The law was introduced to prevent price competition with bakers, protect drinkers from high prices, and ban the use of wheat in beer so that more bread could be made. It also aimed to stop brewers from adding dubious, toxic, and even hallucinogenic ingredients as preservatives or flavourings, such as herbs, spices, soot, and pitch.

While the Reinheitsgebot was originally only applied in Bavaria, it eventually became law in all of Germany in 1906. Modern versions of the law have included significant exceptions for different types and regions of beer, and now state that malted barley, wheat, rye, hops, water, and yeast are permitted. The law strictly forbids the use of extenders such as rice, corn, and sorghum, which are favoured by American brewers to create a lighter taste and reduce brewing costs.

In 1993, the Vorläufiges Biergesetz (Provisional Beer Law) replaced the earlier regulations and allowed for the use of powdered or ground hops, hop extracts, and stabilization and fining agents. Top-fermented beer is subject to the same rules as bottom-fermented beer, but with the addition of a wider variety of malted grains and pure sugars for flavour and colouring.

The Reinheitsgebot is considered the most famous law regulating beer brewing and continues to influence the industry not only in Germany but around the world. It is also believed to be a valuable marketing tool, with German brewers using the law to market their beer internationally.

Frequently asked questions