Whether you’re a novice or an expert, would you like to deepen your knowledge of German beers? With this concise guide to German beer, you’ll discover the history, main styles, and some of the most famous breweries. You’ll also find examples of beers available in the PerfectDraft online shop to taste for yourself!

History and general information about German beer

The history of German beer stretches back more than a thousand years:

• 736: The first known beer was brewed in Bavaria, in an abbey using barley.
• 974: Emperor Otto II granted permission for beer brewing within the Holy Roman Empire.
• 1516: The Bavarian Purity Law, or Reinheitsgebot, was enacted. It required that beer be brewed only from water, barley, and hops.
• 1839: The Spaten brewery introduced modern processes such as refrigeration and pasteurisation, marking the start of industrial brewing in Germany.
• 20th century: The Reinheitsgebot was extended nationwide, cementing its role in shaping German brewing traditions.

Beer is deeply rooted in German culture and tradition. This is evident not only in the thousands of breweries (both craft and industrial) but also in the festivals celebrating beer, the most famous being Oktoberfest, which draws millions of visitors to Munich each year. Germany remains one of the world’s leading producers and consumers of beer, with an average consumption of 99 litres per person in 2019.

Beer styles brewed in Germany

German beers are often classified by fermentation method and their original wort density:

• Einfachbier: simple beers with a density between 1.5% and 6.9%.
• Schankbiere: draught beers with a density of 7–10.9%.
• Starkbiere: strong beers with a density of 16% or more.

The most iconic German beers are bottom-fermented lagers — pale, amber, or dark, filtered or unfiltered, with varying balances of malt and hops. Germany is also renowned for its top-fermented beers, offering fruity, yeasty, and complex profiles such as Hefeweizen or Kölsch. With so many different styles, it’s impossible to list them all, but this diversity is what makes German beer culture so unique.

Famous German breweries and beers to try

No guide would be complete without highlighting a few well-known breweries and their signature beers. Luckily, many are available directly from PerfectDraft:

• Kulmbacher Bock: a rich lager with sweet, caramelised, and malty flavours, typical of strong German Bocks.
• Schneider Weisse Hefeweizen: a classic wheat beer with aromas of yeast, malt, and banana, offering a refreshing and traditional German taste.

In our Bottles section, you’ll also find a wide variety of lagers, pale and amber beers, wheat beers, and white beers, showcasing the full spectrum of German brewing expertise. Whether you prefer something light and crisp or rich and malty, there’s a German beer to suit every palate.

Read other articles : Everything you need to know about the world's largest beer festival, Everything you need to know about beer consumption in France ! What is an Oyster Stout beer ? and Off-flavours in beer !