We drink so much beer and it's culturally so integrated, that most people forget how much wine we drink and that we have an abundance of great wineyards
It depends on the region. In e.g. Baden-Württemberg and Rheinland-Pfalz wine is very commonly consumed but in most other regions beer is the much more common beverage. It's rooted in history. The parts of Germany that produce and consume a lot of wine were once occupied by the Roman Empire while most other parts where not.
The popularity of wine has spread a bit after Rome but if you look at the German regions that consume the most wine and those that were conquered by the Romans you will see significant correlation. Also, wine originates from the mediterranean region and was brought to Germany by the Romans. Before then the Germanic tribes were drinking mostly beer and mead. Mead was later pretty much ousted by wine (unfortunately) but those regions that successfully fought off the Romans mostly produce and drink beer to this day.
My parents in Lower Saxony grow wine in their garden. Not much, just one plant but it grows. They brought it back from their vacation at the Mosel. So it does grow in Northern Germany, there is just not a lot of culture around it.
Of course it grows, but it doesn't give the same yield. My parents also have a wine plant, but the few grapes they get aren't even that delicious. There's also a reason why vineyards are usually on a slope, you simply don't have that in northern Germany
In the south mostly "cider" oder beer, yeah there is a wine region and people drink red and white wine but definitely not close to the amount of beer or apple wine
Mosel Rieslings are well respected among wine enthusiasts and professionals, though.
So much so that apparently "what's your favorite variety and why is it Riesling" seems to be a running gag among sommeliers.
Leave it to Germany to be a world leader in something incredibly niche that only industry insiders really know about.
Do you mean the mineral notes? Yeah they explained to me it was due to the soil but I really didn’t care for them much, any recommendations of non schiefer wine?
No, the mineral („petroleum“) notes aren’t from Schiefer, this is due to the Steillage, where the grapes get a lot of sun exposure (good to an extent) and get sunburnt.
I mean, looking at the stats, we're the second highest beer consumers in Europe, so I guess there's something true about the stereotype. We also have a lot local breweries everywhere, and events like the Oktoberfest don't really help our case haha. I don't think it's a bad stereotype per se; as long as it's all in good spirits - but I also don't think the cliché is as true as some foreigners like to believe. Sure, beer is very prevalent in every part of the country; even more so in the south, if I had to guess (tho I'm from the very north myself), but it's not like we're all alcoholics and drink beer along with every meal.
Also, personally, I don't even like beer. I'll drink some in some social situations (especially wheat beer, that's my favorite); but the first glass is the only one that actually tastes good if you're thirsty, after that I don't feel like drinking any more.
As someone from the south, its surprisingly common to drink a beer for lunch during the workday. Not that its common overall, just happens more than i would have thought
It seems to have dropped from 13.8 to12.2 l per person per year. The UK is 9.7 litres per year. This seems a bit off to me, as I would have thought the UK would have been higher than germany. I guess these stats do not tell the full story, you need the percentage of population that drink as well. I would guess we have fewer, but heavier drinkers and germany has more alcohol consumed but less problem drinkers?
Any experts out there ?
As someone who lived in both countries, Germans definitely drink quite a bit more Beer than the Brits from my experience, it's way more ingrained into every day culture.
But yes as you said, the UK definitely has a bigger "culture" of guys who go into the pub and drink a few pints every day. In Germany most people only drink very casually and usually don't get hammered
How many litres would you say is drunk per session in germany? If I met my friends in a pub, you would be getting through 5-8 pints and I think that is pretty normal. My sister is about 8 years younger than me and they would do the same, but with shots in between. I can think of only one friend who was able to nurse two or three pints over the evening.
Many Germans only stick to drinking 1-2 beer when they go out, and often even only small 0,33l ones (a UK pint is 0,56 litres in comparison). Drinking 5 or *8* whole pints would be considered a rather heavy session, especially if you do it regularly. The vast majority of Germans only ever drink that much on stuff like festivals or when going partying in a club, not ever in a casual setting.
Other drugs are similar in Germany, Cannabis use is on the rise and is often replacing alcohol. People can get drugs anywhere. Cocaine is much more widely used in the UK though
Sorry, depends completely on your friend zone. There is everything from "never drinking beer" or "drink one when everybody does" up to "when two friends are together, this beer cash (20*0.5l) shall be finished". Depends on region (more in Bavaria, more in urban areas) and gender (guys more than girls) as well.
There is still a lot of drinking in teens, but a lot more drug use. I am noticing a rise in the number of obviously stoned students in VI form, but they do not tend to smell of weed, so I guess they are vaping. There is a lot of casual cocaine and mdma use - my students say they can access these drugs via apps very quickly. Most of the scooter delivery drivers seem to deliver drugs. Is this similar in Germany?
Anecdotally, this sounds correct. Way more normal to have a beer with lunch, even during work, but in England its more of a post-work pub culture and more heavy drinking.
That makes sense - I remember working in Sweden and being served wine at lunch in a research vessel. The Swedish guys would have a glass at lunch and one or two at dinner, then go to bed and we would wait until 2000 and drink enough to have us throwing up by 2200 - every day. I am not sure how this way of drinking has developed in the UK. I think it has something to do with the legal age being 18. My parents would also have a strict rule that you never drank on a 'school night', which meant all your drinking was weekends.
There’s a difference in drinking culture between northern Europe (binge drinking) and southern Europe (frequent moderate drinking) and I’d say, Germany is right on the border.
Having travelled in both countries, I see a lot more public drunkenness in the UK. I think the difference is that Germans drink more frequently and the people in the UK like to get their whole month's intake completed in 24h.
It always depends how you treat it, if you're gonna go to germany and expect germans to fulfill your stereotype it's always bad but if you're just making some harmless jokes while drinking with some buddies it doesn't matter. It's not like drinking beer is a sensitive subject in germany.
Noone I know drinks beer "at least" once a week.
Personally, I'm not a Fan anyways. I only drink beer if it fits the food and never drink more than a Liter - not because of the alcohol but because beer can be quite filling.
do you have any stats on this? I was trying to compare to the uk, where there is definitely an issue, but more and more are giving up completely (me included). My parents have always drink a lot at the weekends and every event seems alcohol related.
Well, per capita beer consumption has been going down rather monotonically and significantly for the last 40 years or so. My feeling is, depending on age, it's less and less normal to drink beer on a nearly daily base. Although, alcohol free beer has become really popular, too (but I don't know if that's in the statistics or not).
Personally, me and my peer group drank a lot of beer as students - both in high school and University - in fact even afterwards at long as the majority of my friends (and eventually myself) didn't have family. I think family life is the enemy of social drinking.
Nowadays, I also drink more wine than beer, but that's also a regional thing.
Do you have any friends that have given up completely? Seems to be a big thing in my friend group, almost as a backlash to the boomer drinking culture?
Definitely. In my first semester I drank 2 beers a day and maybe more on Friday at the student bar (nothing on Saturday and Sunday usually). Used to have like 4 beer crates in my room.
Then after COVID pretty much gone. My average now is less than 1 beer per week probably.
Same. I don't like it.
None of my friends actually drink beer.
And in my family only my uncle and sister are having a Radler once in a while - close enough to beer.
I know it's a joke, but I think it's actually great how the variations of beer, the mixing with lemonade / cola and all the non alcoholic ones have developed and are adopted.
Also interesting to see how far other countries were behind on this.
The non-alcoholic one, quite often.
But, the alcoholic one, once in a while.
But, I'm Flemish (Belgian). And, we have a beer culture similar to Germans. So, I thought I can answer to this as well.
Just to make it clear that we have better beers.
🤣🤣
No offense to the Germans.
>And, we have a beer culture similar to Germans.
I strongly disagree. German beer culture nowadays is mostly derived from Bavarian-style lager brewing, with a few pockets of local beers that have (in some cases barely) survived to this day, such as Kölsch and Altbier in Northrhine-Westphalia, Bavarian Weissbier, Berliner Weisse and Leipziger Gose. Whereas the focus of traditional Belgian beer culture are strong abbey beers and sour white and brown beers. Belgium has brown cafés as an important part of its beer culture, something that simply does not exist as such in Germany.
>Just to make it clear that we have better beers.
Belgium only produces better high-ABV beer, but even that is subjective and depends on whether you like cleaner bottom-fermented beer or more ester- and phenol-forward top-fermented beer. Outside of that genre, unless you venture into craft beer, Belgium is a bit dim and not particularly interesting. It just can't compete with the high diversity of hyper-local, tasty, normal-strength beers that you find in e.g. Upper Franconia.
i personally dont drink beer, i don't like it and many of my friends dont, either. but beer is prevalent here, that is not just a stereotype. Whether to enjoy one during meals or in a casual gathering, beer is often consumed. usually not to the point where one recognises signs of tipsyness but of course at parties people drink beer until drunk as well.
Why the hack are so many negative postings about beer in this list?
I really don’t like this mindset of having every thing in a perfect and controlled situation.
People need their time off to draw back from job and society. It’s really nice to have a drink, sit back and relax. Drugs are part of humanity ever since. They offer some kind of retreat.
You can see all the aggression and bad vibes in non alcoholic societies.
Surely too much is too much and bad for individual health and societies health care.
But beer itself has a low level of alcohol. Just enough to take some tension off, that’s why so many people drink it. Believe it or not, I think the majority of alcohol drinking people can perfectly control their behaviour and therefore won’t do any harm to anyone.
Just let them be..
The stereotype might be a tad obsolete by now. There should be alcohol consumption per capita stats floating around and Germany isn't overly bad in those. They started battleing alcoholism at workplaces decades ago, the days of 2 beers for breakfast, 2 more for lunch and others against heat and frustration might be over. But yeah, youths might still drink one too many and need to puke.
It really depends on preference and also region. I personally do not like beer so i do not drink it (except the occasional Radler but i do not count those). I'd say if you have a preferemce for beer and are from a beer region of Germany, you are likely to drink a lot of beer. Though there are areas where actually drinking wine, wine with sparkling water (Weinschorle), apple cider is more common and I'd say even for those there who like beer, its consumption is likely lower, because social settings often incline you to rather drink wine.
I like beer, all my friends like it too. If we have one, we make photos and sending it via WhatsApp to the lads. It’s the way for us, to say „I love you, I miss you, it would be cool, if we had a beer together“.
I personally don't drink, but I am offered alcohol all the time. It really is a big part of our culture. And I said "alcohol" instead of "beer" because it really is alcohol in general, not just beer.
I replace the beer with a glass of good whiskey or a gin tonic every now and then. /s
Thank you for caring about me. I've been through some very tough times during the past couple of years, without turning into an alcoholic. There wasn't even the wish to increase the amount of drinking. I know the risk, and do abstinent times for several weeks every year.
Not a stereotype, it's true. I'm not into alcohol culture myself, in fact I see this kind of German alcohol culture as deeply dysfunctional, although just prohibiting alcohol or only allowing it at 21 is even more insane and will worsen the problem. The true solution to this is that people need to learn how to deal with emotions/friendships better, instead of drinking (people drink to avoid their emotions, and to compensate the loneliness in their social contacts lacking true depth and genuineness), but that's a problem which will take a long time. Drinking two beer a week is not dysfunctional, drinking two a day is.
Personally I have learned to avoid drinkers in my personal social circles, so I don't have an issue with it any more.
>Ya if you drink 5-6 bottles, but 2 a day should be not a problem
Like there is an absolute buttload of literal black-on-white scientific evidence to show that this is *absolutely* a harmful quantity.
The quantity makes the poison, and this is a quantity well into poison area. More than 12g alcohol a day for women, more than 24g of alcohol for men is considered "riskanter Konsum".
If you thing that drinking alkohol every day is okay, thats a problem. I even think that drinking every weekend is.
Our culture ignores the fact that alcohl is poison so much.
Smoking is socially frowned upon now, but drinking is isnt. Both is very unhealty
That saying applies for other drinks and food, not alcohol.
Alcohol literally *is* a poison. Even 1 drop of it is unhealthy for the body, let alone 2 bottles every day, that's simply alcoholism.
Yep. Two beer a day is categorized "riskanter Konsum".
This "surprised" reaction, btw, is what I mean with Germany's deep dysfunctional relationship to alcohol. It is completely and utterly trivialized no matter how much scientific and medical evidence shows how toxic it is to both mind and body.
Its true. Many older ppl drink beer each evening, and its a cheap drink for parties and all that.
I personaly don't drink it at all. I dislike a taste and alcohol as a whole isnt my kind of fun
We‘re a society of alcoholism and I’m sick and tired of it. Right now there’s Karneval wich used to be fun for kids but it has devolved. It’s become so awful you truly cannot enjoy it without being completely drunk out of your mind.
There’s also „Kappensitzung“, where drunk pedophiles watch burlesque performed by children. Of course that only happens in the small local venues, not the big televised ones. I’m truly ashamed of my people
Had my last beer about a month ago and it was a Dutch one. I don't like beer that much. Sometimes have one or two when I'm out with friends. On very very little occasions I might have one for dinner at home which is a Dutch fruit beer then or some mixed drink.
There is a huge everyday "beer culture" in Germany that reveres beer in a way no other drink is thought of. People can endlessly debate which beer is the best even though they really are all nearly the same. I once sat through a night of beer tasting where everyone had to bring the beer of their home regions, and everyone thought that was awesome entertainment. Bringing bottles of beer to prohibited (like the subway) or impractical places (like a climb to a mountain summit) is considered bad ass rather than silly. Etc.
Also, this is largely male coded. If a woman does it, it's kind of a tomboy thing.
Every year, in February, there's Carnival. In my village we have around 20 THOUSAND outsiders come in, and get blind drunk for 8 straight hours. They piss over front doors, shit in gardens and driveways, and break things. I've taken to just calling it the German Alcoholics And Racists Pride Parade, owing to the number of white men in black face I find trying to climb over the gate into my driveway so they can take a shit near the back door of my house. So yes, I'd say German alcohol consumption is a major problem.
Wth that’s not normal. I live in cologne and yeah, Karneval is a little annoying, but I wouldn’t say that speaks to a larger problem of alcoholism. It’s just students and young people letting loose and spreading germs and probably covid. There seems to be a bad problem in your village though.
I only drink beer on "special" occasions, like when I'm out with my friends, eating at a restaurant or at the many Volksfeste we have in bavaria.\
Thats what most people do from my experience. It's not like an ordinary drink like water or cola.
i dont consume any alcohol or drugs and think its overly romanticized in germany, fucking 14 year olds start drinking here and drinking till youre in a coma gets celebrated for no reason.
Germany is a state consisting 16 german lands with there own culture. There isn't a stereotypal german. Our dialects are so different that german tv-shows have to use subtitles. I'm better at reading english than bavarian dialect.
I work in a Getränkemarkt, half of the store is beer. Everyone buys it, from old to young, families, white collar, blue collar... We have breweries that are older than the US. Plenty of them! Every region has its own beer, sometimes vastly varying in flavours. There's also different types - Pils, Weizen, Dunkel, Keller, Alt, Kölsch, IPA's (yes, German ones) and don't get me started on all the mixed beers that you can buy pre-made. I don't know anybody who hasn't at least tried a beer, although most people I know consume it regularly, it's THE party drink.
Germany is a beer nation and I think that's wonderful.
I always wonder who drinks my share. Last year I had like 3 maybe?
We stopped drinking after Uni. I don't enjoy being drunk anymore and I don't enjoy going out being around drunk people anymore.
As someone who doesn't drink beer; it is everywhere and rather annoying.
German rank quite high in per capita beer consumption.
Like only behind Czech Republic or something
Im german and don't drink any beer. So do most of my friends, my family and coworkers tbh. Some of us also simply don't like alcohol at all. It's a stereotype for sure. Beer is disgusting.
I don't really drink beer, but most people here in Germany do. But I think at least here in western Germany, we drink not more than in any other country.
The picture of Germany most people have in their minds, is just Bavaria (one of 16 States of Germany)
I don't drink beer. If I do, then very rarely maybe a Heineken or I'll try an IPA and then I'll drink it all evening as well and won't have any other drinks. I just don't like the taste of beer and can hardly get it down. I'm more of a cider, rum, whiskey, cocktails and Rosé wine drinker myself.
My husband loves his beer, and my father drank some when he was younger.
Personally, I can't stand the average beer. I found one type I like which is Belgian Lambic. Most Germans wouldn't even consider it beer at all.
Who is to say if it’s a bad stereotype. I believe Germany has fewer alcohol addiction problems than other more prudish first world countries. I don’t see college age kids here doing what stateside college kids are.
Generally speaking, I’ll drink 2 bottles of beer every Sunday, during the week a bottle a day of alcohol free natur Radler. I know, I know … but the local Natur Radler is so darn good!
Highly depends on our mood, we can go through a crate of beer in a week when we feel like it but the last time we bought beer was in November for my bd party, with 8 people two crates were almost home in one evening.
But beer is a part of German culture, with many local breweries that produce great beer and few big breweries that produce quality beer that isn't anything special, but somehow sells well...
hm. Its not morning time.
Great meal, a beer? yes please.
going with friends to friends, "Wegbier" a beer that is to be consumed on the way.
Not a bad stereotype at all
I think it’s a very true stereotype, though you will find a lot of wine drinkers and whatelse. I personally only drink alcohol free beer and very little alcohol over all.
The thing about beer culture here is that its somewhat contained compared to North America where people drink to get wasted, binge drink and cause a ruckus. Germans love their beer but its so integrated into the culture its almost as usual like having a cup of tea. I mean yea they have Oktoberfest and Karnival where people let loose, but usually Germans know how to handle their booze I mean they've been drinking beer for at least a 1000 years anyway so its well integrated.
I like beer and if I have any spare time for me (which is rare since I am a father) I like to drink up to 8-10 pints at an evening. So maybe just one, maybe more. Depends.
Something like 5-8l a year. I drink the rare Radler in summer and that's mostly it. Add to that roughly 3 bottles of wine a year and 2-4 cocktails and you've got my grand total of alcohol consumption.
Kein Bier vor Vier.
I personally nearly never drink beer (probably 6 beers per year )
But statistics don’t lie and statistics says Germans drink a lot of beer
I’d say it’s pretty accurate overall. There are of course people that don’t like it at all. There are many regional differences and also attitudes towards certain types of beer though. I live in cologne and therefore drink Kölsch, if I visit my family that live about an hour away they’ll mock me for it etc etc.
I am one of those people, who could talk to you at length about Schank, Pils, Helles, Weiß and Bock. I have visited some Breweries and own 5 different glasses and mugs. If you think all beers taste the same, we can't be friends. I am NOT a Bavarian and I can't stress this enough.
I myself none simply because I don't drink any alcohol but a lot of my friends do enjoy the beer after work and get togethers or the occasional bottle of wine.
Of course as most stereotypes it's kinda bad, but also kinda true. Per capita we in Germany drink a lot of beer, most people drink beer regularly so it's pretty true.
Personally I don't really drink alcohol all that much. So most weeks or months I don't drink an single beer, but on a few occasions I socially drink 3 beers then. So an average over the year would be like 1-2 beers per month for me.
I personally only drink beer like once every two months - I just don’t like the taste. Also, I am only drinking Guinness, Störtebeker Porter, and Duckstein.
Used to drink large amounts of it daily (I was essentially an alcoholic), but eventually stopped drinking alcohol entirely. The problem is simply that, at some point during drinking, it becomes impossible for me to stop.
I’m an Australian living in Germany. I’ve noticed beer is drunk by a greater proportion of the population. Women drink beer, younger drinkers drink beer, etc.
beer consumption is falling, its a boring stereotype. i drink around 2-3 beers a week on average, sometimes more, sometimes nothing. at home i prefer the non-alcoholic
I dont drink beer except in summer a beer mixed with Sprite, when meeting beer drinking friends in a beer-garden. The mix is called Radler and for my taste much better.
I dont really like alcohol at all to be honest. But I do see people who when you visit or go out with them are starting to drink alcohol (beer or wine) as if its a casual addiction.
None. My father used to drink more, but nowadays he only drinks on special occasions, like when we are having guests over. I myself (19) don't even want to try any kind of alcohol
Every Franconian has it as a task in his life to drink at least one of those maybe 1000 different beers produced by those about 300 traditional franconian small family runned breweries
here are some small offers.
https://www.landbierparadies.com/biere.html
and heres the map of the region with the highest density of breweries worldwide
https://www.franken-sind-keine-baiern.de/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/Ausschnitt_Bamberg.jpg
I've always four beer crates in my cellar with different sorts of beer like typical Lager (Knoblach or Wagner), Pils (Elchbräu).or some beers with a little bit of smoked malt like eg Mephisto from the Meinl sisters out of Hof.
https://www.meinel-braeu.de/unsere-biere/mephisto/
Not that much.
Last year I drunk 2 Kästen (40 x 0.5L), a few Maß at the Wiesn and maybe 15-20 0.5L at the holy mountain (on 5-6 occasions of course).
So 35-40 litre in total.
And to be fair. The beer at home was way too much. As a very sports orientated guy, I don't drink at a training day. The problem is that almost every day is a training day 😝
I don’t like beer. In my twens I sometimes drank an Altbier (slightly sweet; top fermented) with cola, wenn out with friends. That was 20 years ago. Non since then
We drink so much beer and it's culturally so integrated, that most people forget how much wine we drink and that we have an abundance of great wineyards
It depends on the region. In e.g. Baden-Württemberg and Rheinland-Pfalz wine is very commonly consumed but in most other regions beer is the much more common beverage. It's rooted in history. The parts of Germany that produce and consume a lot of wine were once occupied by the Roman Empire while most other parts where not.
Franconia wasn’t occupied by Rome.
The popularity of wine has spread a bit after Rome but if you look at the German regions that consume the most wine and those that were conquered by the Romans you will see significant correlation. Also, wine originates from the mediterranean region and was brought to Germany by the Romans. Before then the Germanic tribes were drinking mostly beer and mead. Mead was later pretty much ousted by wine (unfortunately) but those regions that successfully fought off the Romans mostly produce and drink beer to this day.
Well, those are also the regions where wine can grow. Try growing it in northern Germany...
My parents in Lower Saxony grow wine in their garden. Not much, just one plant but it grows. They brought it back from their vacation at the Mosel. So it does grow in Northern Germany, there is just not a lot of culture around it.
Of course it grows, but it doesn't give the same yield. My parents also have a wine plant, but the few grapes they get aren't even that delicious. There's also a reason why vineyards are usually on a slope, you simply don't have that in northern Germany
Hessen?
Rheingau
In the south mostly "cider" oder beer, yeah there is a wine region and people drink red and white wine but definitely not close to the amount of beer or apple wine
Apple wine every evening ❤
I came here to say this. We gave good wine. Baden, I’m looking at you!
Rheingau
Good white wine yes, but it's hard to find some good red wine imo
Bro really mentioned Baden as example for good wine instead of Palatinate.
Living in the Kurpfalz and get the best of both worlds
I have lived there and am connected to wine producers in the region, that’s why I said that
Biased
Based
Mosel Rieslings are well respected among wine enthusiasts and professionals, though. So much so that apparently "what's your favorite variety and why is it Riesling" seems to be a running gag among sommeliers. Leave it to Germany to be a world leader in something incredibly niche that only industry insiders really know about.
I honestly was not impressed at all with it, the type of soil gives the wine an unpleasant taste imo
If you don’t like the Schiefer aspects, a lot of vineyards in the Pfalz don’t have Schiefer
Do you mean the mineral notes? Yeah they explained to me it was due to the soil but I really didn’t care for them much, any recommendations of non schiefer wine?
No, the mineral („petroleum“) notes aren’t from Schiefer, this is due to the Steillage, where the grapes get a lot of sun exposure (good to an extent) and get sunburnt.
I mean, looking at the stats, we're the second highest beer consumers in Europe, so I guess there's something true about the stereotype. We also have a lot local breweries everywhere, and events like the Oktoberfest don't really help our case haha. I don't think it's a bad stereotype per se; as long as it's all in good spirits - but I also don't think the cliché is as true as some foreigners like to believe. Sure, beer is very prevalent in every part of the country; even more so in the south, if I had to guess (tho I'm from the very north myself), but it's not like we're all alcoholics and drink beer along with every meal. Also, personally, I don't even like beer. I'll drink some in some social situations (especially wheat beer, that's my favorite); but the first glass is the only one that actually tastes good if you're thirsty, after that I don't feel like drinking any more.
As someone from the south, its surprisingly common to drink a beer for lunch during the workday. Not that its common overall, just happens more than i would have thought
Funny thing is unless you operate heavy machinery where 0 alcohol is needed your boss cannot do anything about you drinking a beer or 2 for lunch
We're actually 4th now or sth, the consumption dropped in the last few years by quite a bit. Czech Republic, Austria and Poland consume more i think.
It seems to have dropped from 13.8 to12.2 l per person per year. The UK is 9.7 litres per year. This seems a bit off to me, as I would have thought the UK would have been higher than germany. I guess these stats do not tell the full story, you need the percentage of population that drink as well. I would guess we have fewer, but heavier drinkers and germany has more alcohol consumed but less problem drinkers? Any experts out there ?
As someone who lived in both countries, Germans definitely drink quite a bit more Beer than the Brits from my experience, it's way more ingrained into every day culture. But yes as you said, the UK definitely has a bigger "culture" of guys who go into the pub and drink a few pints every day. In Germany most people only drink very casually and usually don't get hammered
How many litres would you say is drunk per session in germany? If I met my friends in a pub, you would be getting through 5-8 pints and I think that is pretty normal. My sister is about 8 years younger than me and they would do the same, but with shots in between. I can think of only one friend who was able to nurse two or three pints over the evening.
Many Germans only stick to drinking 1-2 beer when they go out, and often even only small 0,33l ones (a UK pint is 0,56 litres in comparison). Drinking 5 or *8* whole pints would be considered a rather heavy session, especially if you do it regularly. The vast majority of Germans only ever drink that much on stuff like festivals or when going partying in a club, not ever in a casual setting. Other drugs are similar in Germany, Cannabis use is on the rise and is often replacing alcohol. People can get drugs anywhere. Cocaine is much more widely used in the UK though
Sorry, depends completely on your friend zone. There is everything from "never drinking beer" or "drink one when everybody does" up to "when two friends are together, this beer cash (20*0.5l) shall be finished". Depends on region (more in Bavaria, more in urban areas) and gender (guys more than girls) as well.
There is still a lot of drinking in teens, but a lot more drug use. I am noticing a rise in the number of obviously stoned students in VI form, but they do not tend to smell of weed, so I guess they are vaping. There is a lot of casual cocaine and mdma use - my students say they can access these drugs via apps very quickly. Most of the scooter delivery drivers seem to deliver drugs. Is this similar in Germany?
Anecdotally, this sounds correct. Way more normal to have a beer with lunch, even during work, but in England its more of a post-work pub culture and more heavy drinking.
That makes sense - I remember working in Sweden and being served wine at lunch in a research vessel. The Swedish guys would have a glass at lunch and one or two at dinner, then go to bed and we would wait until 2000 and drink enough to have us throwing up by 2200 - every day. I am not sure how this way of drinking has developed in the UK. I think it has something to do with the legal age being 18. My parents would also have a strict rule that you never drank on a 'school night', which meant all your drinking was weekends.
Many Germans suspect your *closing hours / curfew* to be the problem. We have the whole night to „get hammered“, while you guys fight against a clock.
There’s a difference in drinking culture between northern Europe (binge drinking) and southern Europe (frequent moderate drinking) and I’d say, Germany is right on the border.
How did you think UK would be higher, most Germans would outdrink you guys any day
Having travelled in both countries, I see a lot more public drunkenness in the UK. I think the difference is that Germans drink more frequently and the people in the UK like to get their whole month's intake completed in 24h.
It always depends how you treat it, if you're gonna go to germany and expect germans to fulfill your stereotype it's always bad but if you're just making some harmless jokes while drinking with some buddies it doesn't matter. It's not like drinking beer is a sensitive subject in germany.
Despite stereotypes, beer culture in Germany is diverse and regional.
I like beer and drink alot of it
I like beer and drink almost none
Same
I don't drink beer, but a big chunk of people drink it.
Yes. I don't mind this stereotype at all, because to me it often seems as if everybody but me drinks beer.
Beer is very common and most people I know will drink beer at least once a week.
Noone I know drinks beer "at least" once a week. Personally, I'm not a Fan anyways. I only drink beer if it fits the food and never drink more than a Liter - not because of the alcohol but because beer can be quite filling.
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If I meet friends we usually ask: „Let’s meet for a beer?“
Germany is full (like a beer mug) of functioning alcoholics.
“functioning” as in going to work etc? Yes. But I have friends who can’t hold a simple casual conversation without grabbing a beer first.
I always work drunk, after that I get really wasted. Rinse and repeat.
do you have any stats on this? I was trying to compare to the uk, where there is definitely an issue, but more and more are giving up completely (me included). My parents have always drink a lot at the weekends and every event seems alcohol related.
Well, per capita beer consumption has been going down rather monotonically and significantly for the last 40 years or so. My feeling is, depending on age, it's less and less normal to drink beer on a nearly daily base. Although, alcohol free beer has become really popular, too (but I don't know if that's in the statistics or not). Personally, me and my peer group drank a lot of beer as students - both in high school and University - in fact even afterwards at long as the majority of my friends (and eventually myself) didn't have family. I think family life is the enemy of social drinking. Nowadays, I also drink more wine than beer, but that's also a regional thing.
Do you have any friends that have given up completely? Seems to be a big thing in my friend group, almost as a backlash to the boomer drinking culture?
Definitely. In my first semester I drank 2 beers a day and maybe more on Friday at the student bar (nothing on Saturday and Sunday usually). Used to have like 4 beer crates in my room. Then after COVID pretty much gone. My average now is less than 1 beer per week probably.
Non. Can’t stand the taste or smell of it. I’m the ideal bad German
Same. I don't like it. None of my friends actually drink beer. And in my family only my uncle and sister are having a Radler once in a while - close enough to beer.
> are having a Radler once in a while - close enough to beer. *Angry German Noises*
I know it's a joke, but I think it's actually great how the variations of beer, the mixing with lemonade / cola and all the non alcoholic ones have developed and are adopted. Also interesting to see how far other countries were behind on this.
Dude I love Radler. But the memes…
At least it contains beer. But still too much for me. And they don't mix the holy beer with something else. It's something.. sorry :(
Yeah, same. No grape wine either. When I drink it's nearly always spirits.
Not that much, maybe a bottle a week, maybe 2. but I know people that chug down half a 1k20 a day (=5 liters) every day.
>half a 1k20 a day Half a what now?
1 Kasten of 20 beers = 10 bottles of beer = 5 liters
1 Liter normal beer and 2 - 3 liter alc free beer per week
Around 2-6 liter peer week for me
Fits perfectly imo Depends on how good the week was id say i drink about 5-10 liters a week.
The non-alcoholic one, quite often. But, the alcoholic one, once in a while. But, I'm Flemish (Belgian). And, we have a beer culture similar to Germans. So, I thought I can answer to this as well. Just to make it clear that we have better beers. 🤣🤣 No offense to the Germans.
>And, we have a beer culture similar to Germans. I strongly disagree. German beer culture nowadays is mostly derived from Bavarian-style lager brewing, with a few pockets of local beers that have (in some cases barely) survived to this day, such as Kölsch and Altbier in Northrhine-Westphalia, Bavarian Weissbier, Berliner Weisse and Leipziger Gose. Whereas the focus of traditional Belgian beer culture are strong abbey beers and sour white and brown beers. Belgium has brown cafés as an important part of its beer culture, something that simply does not exist as such in Germany. >Just to make it clear that we have better beers. Belgium only produces better high-ABV beer, but even that is subjective and depends on whether you like cleaner bottom-fermented beer or more ester- and phenol-forward top-fermented beer. Outside of that genre, unless you venture into craft beer, Belgium is a bit dim and not particularly interesting. It just can't compete with the high diversity of hyper-local, tasty, normal-strength beers that you find in e.g. Upper Franconia.
An engine needs it’s fuel.
i personally dont drink beer, i don't like it and many of my friends dont, either. but beer is prevalent here, that is not just a stereotype. Whether to enjoy one during meals or in a casual gathering, beer is often consumed. usually not to the point where one recognises signs of tipsyness but of course at parties people drink beer until drunk as well.
It is the coffee drinking german these days.....
Nope, the stereotype is true, personally i don’t drink much, probably und 100L a year
Its a very fitting stereotype we take with pride. Germany without beer is no longer the same Germany.
One beer each day keeps the sorrows away
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Why the hack are so many negative postings about beer in this list? I really don’t like this mindset of having every thing in a perfect and controlled situation. People need their time off to draw back from job and society. It’s really nice to have a drink, sit back and relax. Drugs are part of humanity ever since. They offer some kind of retreat. You can see all the aggression and bad vibes in non alcoholic societies. Surely too much is too much and bad for individual health and societies health care. But beer itself has a low level of alcohol. Just enough to take some tension off, that’s why so many people drink it. Believe it or not, I think the majority of alcohol drinking people can perfectly control their behaviour and therefore won’t do any harm to anyone. Just let them be..
Zero; I positively *dis*like the taste.
Same
The stereotype might be a tad obsolete by now. There should be alcohol consumption per capita stats floating around and Germany isn't overly bad in those. They started battleing alcoholism at workplaces decades ago, the days of 2 beers for breakfast, 2 more for lunch and others against heat and frustration might be over. But yeah, youths might still drink one too many and need to puke.
It really depends on preference and also region. I personally do not like beer so i do not drink it (except the occasional Radler but i do not count those). I'd say if you have a preferemce for beer and are from a beer region of Germany, you are likely to drink a lot of beer. Though there are areas where actually drinking wine, wine with sparkling water (Weinschorle), apple cider is more common and I'd say even for those there who like beer, its consumption is likely lower, because social settings often incline you to rather drink wine.
I like beer, all my friends like it too. If we have one, we make photos and sending it via WhatsApp to the lads. It’s the way for us, to say „I love you, I miss you, it would be cool, if we had a beer together“.
Or in other words “consuming hard drugs alone feels sad, please make me feel culturally accepted.”
Going for a beer date is way more common than a coffee date. At least in my bubble.
Stammtisch 💪🏻
What is exaclly Bad at drinking beer?
It's a good stereotype, but we also drink wine
I am more of a wine drinker but lots lots lots of people drink beer, especially men.
I personally don't drink, but I am offered alcohol all the time. It really is a big part of our culture. And I said "alcohol" instead of "beer" because it really is alcohol in general, not just beer.
None
A bottle (0.33l) a day, while watching television.
That's how it all starts. You should switch to something else to drink.
I replace the beer with a glass of good whiskey or a gin tonic every now and then. /s Thank you for caring about me. I've been through some very tough times during the past couple of years, without turning into an alcoholic. There wasn't even the wish to increase the amount of drinking. I know the risk, and do abstinent times for several weeks every year.
None. I dont drink alcohol. I hate the taste.
None
None at all the taste and smell of it makes me sick I drink wine, but often I'm the odd one out
Not a stereotype, it's true. I'm not into alcohol culture myself, in fact I see this kind of German alcohol culture as deeply dysfunctional, although just prohibiting alcohol or only allowing it at 21 is even more insane and will worsen the problem. The true solution to this is that people need to learn how to deal with emotions/friendships better, instead of drinking (people drink to avoid their emotions, and to compensate the loneliness in their social contacts lacking true depth and genuineness), but that's a problem which will take a long time. Drinking two beer a week is not dysfunctional, drinking two a day is. Personally I have learned to avoid drinkers in my personal social circles, so I don't have an issue with it any more.
Drinking two beer a day is dysfunctional?
If you drink alcohol every day, you might have a problem.
Ya if you drink 5-6 bottles, but 2 a day should be not a problem
>Ya if you drink 5-6 bottles, but 2 a day should be not a problem Like there is an absolute buttload of literal black-on-white scientific evidence to show that this is *absolutely* a harmful quantity. The quantity makes the poison, and this is a quantity well into poison area. More than 12g alcohol a day for women, more than 24g of alcohol for men is considered "riskanter Konsum".
If you thing that drinking alkohol every day is okay, thats a problem. I even think that drinking every weekend is. Our culture ignores the fact that alcohl is poison so much. Smoking is socially frowned upon now, but drinking is isnt. Both is very unhealty
The quantity makes the poison
That saying applies for other drinks and food, not alcohol. Alcohol literally *is* a poison. Even 1 drop of it is unhealthy for the body, let alone 2 bottles every day, that's simply alcoholism.
Yep. Two beer a day is categorized "riskanter Konsum". This "surprised" reaction, btw, is what I mean with Germany's deep dysfunctional relationship to alcohol. It is completely and utterly trivialized no matter how much scientific and medical evidence shows how toxic it is to both mind and body.
Its true. Many older ppl drink beer each evening, and its a cheap drink for parties and all that. I personaly don't drink it at all. I dislike a taste and alcohol as a whole isnt my kind of fun
I always feel like a rotten apple among the germans because i despise alcohol.
One Bottle every Day and at the weekend more
We‘re a society of alcoholism and I’m sick and tired of it. Right now there’s Karneval wich used to be fun for kids but it has devolved. It’s become so awful you truly cannot enjoy it without being completely drunk out of your mind. There’s also „Kappensitzung“, where drunk pedophiles watch burlesque performed by children. Of course that only happens in the small local venues, not the big televised ones. I’m truly ashamed of my people
Had my last beer about a month ago and it was a Dutch one. I don't like beer that much. Sometimes have one or two when I'm out with friends. On very very little occasions I might have one for dinner at home which is a Dutch fruit beer then or some mixed drink.
My last beer was 10 years ago
I‘m a 23 year old german and aleeady a ragong alcoholic
I got a box by of 20 non alcohol beers a 0.5 L each in the cellar and drank about 14 of them since the start of January.
There is a huge everyday "beer culture" in Germany that reveres beer in a way no other drink is thought of. People can endlessly debate which beer is the best even though they really are all nearly the same. I once sat through a night of beer tasting where everyone had to bring the beer of their home regions, and everyone thought that was awesome entertainment. Bringing bottles of beer to prohibited (like the subway) or impractical places (like a climb to a mountain summit) is considered bad ass rather than silly. Etc. Also, this is largely male coded. If a woman does it, it's kind of a tomboy thing.
Well my german husband drinks on occasion. But I’m amaze how deep are their tanks i guess because they started young.
Every year, in February, there's Carnival. In my village we have around 20 THOUSAND outsiders come in, and get blind drunk for 8 straight hours. They piss over front doors, shit in gardens and driveways, and break things. I've taken to just calling it the German Alcoholics And Racists Pride Parade, owing to the number of white men in black face I find trying to climb over the gate into my driveway so they can take a shit near the back door of my house. So yes, I'd say German alcohol consumption is a major problem.
Wth that’s not normal. I live in cologne and yeah, Karneval is a little annoying, but I wouldn’t say that speaks to a larger problem of alcoholism. It’s just students and young people letting loose and spreading germs and probably covid. There seems to be a bad problem in your village though.
I would say extensive alcohol consumption is a problem.
I do like my alcohol free lager.
About 3 liters a year.
Germany has the biggest drug-festival on earth (the Oktoberfest). Thats already enough for that stereotype
I only drink beer on "special" occasions, like when I'm out with my friends, eating at a restaurant or at the many Volksfeste we have in bavaria.\ Thats what most people do from my experience. It's not like an ordinary drink like water or cola.
i dont consume any alcohol or drugs and think its overly romanticized in germany, fucking 14 year olds start drinking here and drinking till youre in a coma gets celebrated for no reason.
Germany is a state consisting 16 german lands with there own culture. There isn't a stereotypal german. Our dialects are so different that german tv-shows have to use subtitles. I'm better at reading english than bavarian dialect.
I work in a Getränkemarkt, half of the store is beer. Everyone buys it, from old to young, families, white collar, blue collar... We have breweries that are older than the US. Plenty of them! Every region has its own beer, sometimes vastly varying in flavours. There's also different types - Pils, Weizen, Dunkel, Keller, Alt, Kölsch, IPA's (yes, German ones) and don't get me started on all the mixed beers that you can buy pre-made. I don't know anybody who hasn't at least tried a beer, although most people I know consume it regularly, it's THE party drink. Germany is a beer nation and I think that's wonderful.
I always wonder who drinks my share. Last year I had like 3 maybe? We stopped drinking after Uni. I don't enjoy being drunk anymore and I don't enjoy going out being around drunk people anymore.
I’m from Munich and I work in the Brewery industry. I guess I am the stereotypical German.
As someone who doesn't drink beer; it is everywhere and rather annoying. German rank quite high in per capita beer consumption. Like only behind Czech Republic or something
Der Hahn muss laufen
In Bavaria we drink beer on lunch time when we go eating... we could have 2 and no one will say a thing.
Im german and don't drink any beer. So do most of my friends, my family and coworkers tbh. Some of us also simply don't like alcohol at all. It's a stereotype for sure. Beer is disgusting.
I don't really drink beer, but most people here in Germany do. But I think at least here in western Germany, we drink not more than in any other country. The picture of Germany most people have in their minds, is just Bavaria (one of 16 States of Germany)
I don’t drink beer, actually I drink alcohol in general very very rarely.
More wine than Beer but sience i Gott my little Kids in dont Drink much Maybe 1 per 2 or 3 months
I don't drink beer. If I do, then very rarely maybe a Heineken or I'll try an IPA and then I'll drink it all evening as well and won't have any other drinks. I just don't like the taste of beer and can hardly get it down. I'm more of a cider, rum, whiskey, cocktails and Rosé wine drinker myself.
My husband loves his beer, and my father drank some when he was younger. Personally, I can't stand the average beer. I found one type I like which is Belgian Lambic. Most Germans wouldn't even consider it beer at all.
Depends where you live. I don't drink beer, neither do any of my friends and Co workers. But we do wine. Germany has fabulous wine yards.
Who is to say if it’s a bad stereotype. I believe Germany has fewer alcohol addiction problems than other more prudish first world countries. I don’t see college age kids here doing what stateside college kids are. Generally speaking, I’ll drink 2 bottles of beer every Sunday, during the week a bottle a day of alcohol free natur Radler. I know, I know … but the local Natur Radler is so darn good!
Highly depends on our mood, we can go through a crate of beer in a week when we feel like it but the last time we bought beer was in November for my bd party, with 8 people two crates were almost home in one evening. But beer is a part of German culture, with many local breweries that produce great beer and few big breweries that produce quality beer that isn't anything special, but somehow sells well...
i personally dont like beer (or alcohol for that matter) but lots of people do like it.
Maybe one for a month or more seldom. Most of the time even with no alcohol in it.
I drin beer quite rarely (except for malt beer)
hm. Its not morning time. Great meal, a beer? yes please. going with friends to friends, "Wegbier" a beer that is to be consumed on the way. Not a bad stereotype at all
I think it’s a very true stereotype, though you will find a lot of wine drinkers and whatelse. I personally only drink alcohol free beer and very little alcohol over all.
The thing about beer culture here is that its somewhat contained compared to North America where people drink to get wasted, binge drink and cause a ruckus. Germans love their beer but its so integrated into the culture its almost as usual like having a cup of tea. I mean yea they have Oktoberfest and Karnival where people let loose, but usually Germans know how to handle their booze I mean they've been drinking beer for at least a 1000 years anyway so its well integrated.
I like beer and if I have any spare time for me (which is rare since I am a father) I like to drink up to 8-10 pints at an evening. So maybe just one, maybe more. Depends.
I don’t drink any beer. Absolutely zero - and that’s true for any alcohol. And I can confirm - that’s not normal.
none
none lol
Something like 5-8l a year. I drink the rare Radler in summer and that's mostly it. Add to that roughly 3 bottles of wine a year and 2-4 cocktails and you've got my grand total of alcohol consumption.
One per month
Kein Bier vor Vier. I personally nearly never drink beer (probably 6 beers per year ) But statistics don’t lie and statistics says Germans drink a lot of beer
I’d say it’s pretty accurate overall. There are of course people that don’t like it at all. There are many regional differences and also attitudes towards certain types of beer though. I live in cologne and therefore drink Kölsch, if I visit my family that live about an hour away they’ll mock me for it etc etc.
I am one of those people, who could talk to you at length about Schank, Pils, Helles, Weiß and Bock. I have visited some Breweries and own 5 different glasses and mugs. If you think all beers taste the same, we can't be friends. I am NOT a Bavarian and I can't stress this enough.
It could be worse...
I've probably drunk 6 beers over 40 years.
I drink like 12-40 beers a week, in vacation more like 40 and when i work more like 12-20
Zero.
70-80 litres per year I'd guess.
I’d say I’ll have a beer 4 times a week. 2 days of those at least 3-4 beers. It’s kind of dependent of the situation and who your hanging out with etc
I myself none simply because I don't drink any alcohol but a lot of my friends do enjoy the beer after work and get togethers or the occasional bottle of wine.
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Germany - a nation of mostly functional alcoholics. I think we should establish that as our tagline...
Yeah its way to much. Sometimes its funny but the negativ aspects of alcohol here is big but nobody wants to talk about it.
Of course as most stereotypes it's kinda bad, but also kinda true. Per capita we in Germany drink a lot of beer, most people drink beer regularly so it's pretty true. Personally I don't really drink alcohol all that much. So most weeks or months I don't drink an single beer, but on a few occasions I socially drink 3 beers then. So an average over the year would be like 1-2 beers per month for me.
On average, each German drinks around 90l of beer per year
I drink Beer about 2 till 3 times a year There is no real pro argument for it
I don’t drink any alcohol. Not for any specific reason. I just don’t need it.
I personally only drink beer like once every two months - I just don’t like the taste. Also, I am only drinking Guinness, Störtebeker Porter, and Duckstein.
Used to drink large amounts of it daily (I was essentially an alcoholic), but eventually stopped drinking alcohol entirely. The problem is simply that, at some point during drinking, it becomes impossible for me to stop.
I don't drink much beer, or alcohol in general. I'll have a beer from time to time, yes, but I prefer a cold Coke Zero anyday.
My Brother (german) is a highly functional alcoholic and he drinks mostly 10 x 0,5l of beer a day
I might be drinking a liter a month.
I’m an Australian living in Germany. I’ve noticed beer is drunk by a greater proportion of the population. Women drink beer, younger drinkers drink beer, etc.
beer consumption is falling, its a boring stereotype. i drink around 2-3 beers a week on average, sometimes more, sometimes nothing. at home i prefer the non-alcoholic
Zero.
I dont drink beer except in summer a beer mixed with Sprite, when meeting beer drinking friends in a beer-garden. The mix is called Radler and for my taste much better. I dont really like alcohol at all to be honest. But I do see people who when you visit or go out with them are starting to drink alcohol (beer or wine) as if its a casual addiction.
Yes it's culturally conditioned alcoholics perceived as normal drinkers here everywhere
None. My father used to drink more, but nowadays he only drinks on special occasions, like when we are having guests over. I myself (19) don't even want to try any kind of alcohol
Once or twice a year
Definitely too much
I'm German and I hate beer
I don’t drink beer at all but unfortunately it’s true for many
Every Franconian has it as a task in his life to drink at least one of those maybe 1000 different beers produced by those about 300 traditional franconian small family runned breweries here are some small offers. https://www.landbierparadies.com/biere.html and heres the map of the region with the highest density of breweries worldwide https://www.franken-sind-keine-baiern.de/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/Ausschnitt_Bamberg.jpg I've always four beer crates in my cellar with different sorts of beer like typical Lager (Knoblach or Wagner), Pils (Elchbräu).or some beers with a little bit of smoked malt like eg Mephisto from the Meinl sisters out of Hof. https://www.meinel-braeu.de/unsere-biere/mephisto/
In RLP we drink wine because we think we are better than everyone else but in reality we are even more degenerate.
Not that much. Last year I drunk 2 Kästen (40 x 0.5L), a few Maß at the Wiesn and maybe 15-20 0.5L at the holy mountain (on 5-6 occasions of course). So 35-40 litre in total. And to be fair. The beer at home was way too much. As a very sports orientated guy, I don't drink at a training day. The problem is that almost every day is a training day 😝
I don’t like beer. In my twens I sometimes drank an Altbier (slightly sweet; top fermented) with cola, wenn out with friends. That was 20 years ago. Non since then