German beer consumption rose in 2006

Germans regain their thirst for beer.

Well, the arrival of how many hundreds of thousands of football fans has definitely warped these statistics. The long-term trend is unfortunately heading down, as it is elsewhere in the West. If breweries want to thrive then they will have to be a little more innovative - and this may include brewing something other than Helles, Pils and Weissbier for a change. Even if that does only involve mixing existing styles together, like the utterly ridiculous Weipi.

A great example of an innovative brewery is the previously tiny Austrian brewery called Privatbrauerei Peter, who created a beverage now sold in every refreshment store throughout Germany - Bionade.

Errm, it's a german brewery situated in Bavaria (Ostheim/Rhön). And bionade is fab.

I guess I stand corrected; I would have bet my house on it being an Austrian brewery, although not sure why I thought that.

It´s a dynamic situation but the general trend is down in Germany as a whole. Some states more than others. This has in part to do with the declining population in Germany since 2003 and the trend to "healthier" ,or catchword "wellness", living in general. All this warm weather should help offset this a bit. STB, there are more than just the 3 you mentioned you know!

I like to think that my presense has been the cause of the increase.

Its probably due to so many Brits living here;

why? only Brits drink beer?

my fault sorry! I did attend the fest this year (6 times actually) and actually drink beer this year (at least 2 mass per visit, okay, it was 3) and I did lots of beergardens this summer, again, drinking beer... they really gotta start serving better wine in the beer gartens.

I think I had something to do with it also. In addition to drinking my fair share of Augustiner, I tell all the people who come on my tours that it is their duty to keep the beer drinking averages nice and high while they are visiting with us in Munich

It should be mentioned that the 117 liters per head is the German average. Here in Bavaria, the latest number I have shows an average of 162 liters per head! I suppose one could keep narrowing it down - say to the average expat, over 16 and under 80, living in Munich, participant of TT, visitor of Oktoberfest etc.

You can't fool me with that picture! There are blatantly only four different beers there, they've just poured them into different glasses!

Franconia excluded, Bavaria certainly has a larger selection of glassware than beer - in complete contrast to Britain which has three different types of glass and 2,000 different beers to pour into them!

You´d be surprised how many beer types there are...

http://www.brauer-bund.de/bierfans/sorten/inhalt.htm

That didn't surprise me in the slightest. They managed to scrape together 21 "styles" of beer from the 1,200 breweries found throughout Germany, an average of one interesting style per 57 breweries. Belgium has that many different styles in individual towns.

Come on STB, don´t be so simplistic! First of all you can´t exclude Franconia and then make a comparison with all of Britain. Franconias wonderful beers belong in this discussion as much as the alt beers and Kölsch of the Rhine and the hoppy Pilsners of the North. Does Britain really have 2000 different styles? Depends on what your definition of Style is. By my definition I´d say no of course not. I think you´re confusing style with taste and I´d say that every brewery tastes different whether here or in Britain. There´s just too many independent variables to end up with identical brews. Also, you cannot compare the taste profiles of a Helles with an Ale. I love British Ale, as you well know STB. By definition though the ales are going to be more flavorful than the lagers here. And since they´re not produced via Reinheitsgebot, there´s a lot more interesting variants. But the sword can cut both ways you know? STB admit it, you´re a tried and true Ale loyalist, no wonder you´re anti-Helles!

I didn't say that Britain has 2,000 different styles, but 2,000 different beers. It was just an observation that the glass is often the most interesting part of a beer. I'm not "anti-Helles", but I do firmly believe that British beers vary much more in flavour than German beers.

Read the article and then bumped into this. First time I have been wholesale behind an EU Directive (if they pass it). Then STB can be fully informed about those 2,000 British beers betaglucanases, ammonia caramels, rhoiso-alpha acids, sulphur dioxides, proteases, amyloglucosidases, propylene glycol alginates and silicones.

Does anyone know where to get Redd's in Germany?

interesting...just as the health org's report showed that Germany has surpassed the usa and australia as a obese country...hmmmmmm

Interesting, that's not what this 2007 report says, hmmmmmmm:
Males

According to these, the Germs (both male & female) have a lot of catching up to do

[At present, about 70% of men and 50% of women in Germany are overweight or obese. In conclusion, the prevalence of overweight and obesity in Germany continues to increase...]
or so says the Bundesgesundheitsblatt Gesundheitsforschung Gesundheitsschutz.

now with those figures, it has far surpassed both austraila, usa and canada.

Provide links

No it hasn't. It just depends on your definition of "overweight". Common sense tells us that Americans are, on average, vastly fatter than Germans. I've never seen anyone in Germany who is actually immobile through their weight. And, to bring this thread vaguely back on topic, it takes more than a few beers to reach that level.

well obesity if for the WHO and associated health organizations to waste tax money to figure out...all i know people can and should take personal responsibility and get some sort of fitness...regardless if makes your handles go away or not, at least you are healthier, sleep and feel better. beer in moderation is totally harmless. now apfelschorle is something to watch out for...they should make this stuff illegal.

The damn Prussians are the reason the beer drinking estimate seems so low! If a study were done of only Bavaria, the drinking averages would double per capita.

My understanding is that these studies include the total population, without excluding individuals and not accounting for those who do not drink beer i.e. children, etc.