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German beer is highly diverse and an important part of Germany's Culture . There are more than 1300 Breweries in Germany , the highest number of breweries in the world. The German beer market is a bit sheltered from the rest of the world beer market by the German brewers' adherence to the Bavarian ''' Reinheitsgebot ''' (''purity requirement'') dating from 1516 , according to which the only allowed ingredients of beer are "Wasser ( Water ), Hopfen ( Hops ) und (Gersten-)Malz (barley- Malt )". Many breweries worldwide adopted the Reinheitsgebot for their own beers. After its invention, cultured Yeast became the fourth legal ingredient. Through the agreement (which was law up to 1988 but is still adhered to by virtually all German brewers), beers from Germany tend to have a good reputation for their quality. The Germans are behind only the Czechs and the Irish in their ''per capita'' consumption of beer. VARIETIES There are a variety of different styles of German beer, such as:
Many of the kinds of beer are also availlable with the alcohol content reduced or removed. BRANDS AND BREWERIES While the beer market is weaker but more centralized in northern Germany (the biggest brands being Beck's , Krombacher , Warsteiner , Oettinger , Askania and Bitburger ), the south has lots of very small, local breweries. The highest density of breweries in the world is found near the city of Bamberg , in the Franconia region of Bavaria . In total, there are approximately 1350 breweries in Germany producing over 5000 brands of beer. One of these breweries, the Benedictine Abbey Weihenstephan (established in 725 ) is reputedly the oldest existing brewery in the world. ALCOHOL CONTENT The Alcohol content is usually between 4.7% and 5.4% for most traditional brews. Bock bier or Doppelbock (double Bockbier) however can have an alcohol content of up to 12%, beating many wines. OKTOBERFEST The Munich Oktoberfest is well known for the quantity of beer drunk as well as the friendly, social atmosphere created by the massive marqees with long tables and bench seating. Almost 6,000,000 Litre s of beer are served every year at the festival. SEE ALSO |
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