German beer variety

A good beer is generally not alone

With their outstanding brewing instincts and delight in innovation, German brewers have managed to take the ingredients prescribed in the purity law – water, malt, hops and yeast – and create a diversity of varieties and brands that is unique in the world. In Germany there are over 1200 breweries, which together produce around 5000 different beers: A true paradise for all beer-lovers who, in theory, could spend more than 13.5 years in Germany sampling and enjoying a new beer every day!

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Altbier ("Old")

Dark amber-coloured, hoppy, crystal-clear beer

Berlin wheat beer

Lively, somewhat yeast-cloudy, dark yellow beer with a slightly acidic flavour.

Bock

Full-bodied, golden, golden-brown or dark brown in colour.

Koelsch

Pale yellow, hoppy beer.

Dark Lager/Export

Dark beer, lightly hopped, full-bodied, malty aroma.

Pale Lager/Export

Malty in aroma, light to golden yellow crystal-clear beers, robust, slightly sweet.

Pils/Pilsener

Light-golden, more strongly hopped beer with a fine, creamy foam.

Black beer

Very dark beer, full-bodied: no uniform taste characteristics.

Wheat beer

Crystal-clear or slightly yeast-cloudy, lively beer with a fruity, zesty flavour, lighter or dark coloured.

Non-alcoholic beer

Available in many versions, e.g. Pils, Alt, Koelsch, Weizen etc.

Light beer

An alternative beer choice for calorie-conscious enjoyment.

Mixed beer-based drinks

Comes in several flavour varieties such as Radler, Alsterwasser, Russ’n, Diesel etc. Beer mixers can be made using any type of beer.

Malt beer

Dark, amber-coloured, non-cloudy beverage.

Doppelcaramel

Dark, unfiltered.

You can find more information about varieties of German beer in the “Vielfalt geniessen” (“Enjoy diversity”) brochure from the German Brewers Association.