GERMANY 

If there’s one thing Germany’s known for, it’s beer. It’s a core part of German culture and comes in a whole range of different styles, and the locals enjoy it so much that in 2010 the country was ranked second in terms of per capita beer consumption. If that doesn’t show how much they love the good stuff, we don’t know what does…

German beer brewing history
German beer brewing goes back centuries. The country is home to the Weihenstephan brewery, founded in a Benedictine abbey in 725 AD and brewing since 1040, with it thought to be the oldest existing brewery in the world. Since then the practice has continued to evolve, and despite the fact the country’s been subject to the Reinheitsgebot (or German beer purity law, which dictates the ingredients that can be used in beer production) it boasts a surprising number of styles.

These days there are thought to be around 1300 breweries scattered across Germany (almost half of which being in the Bavaria region) that produce some 5,000 different kinds of beer, ranging from wheat beers and unfiltered lagers to pale and dark beers, with regional varieties including the likes of Kolsch, Altbier, Weissbier, smoked beer and Kellerbier providing a fantastic level of choice.