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Beers of Europe

Even though beer may not have gotten its start in Europe, it was certainly perfected in Europe. In fact out of the top 10 nations of beer consumption per capita,  9 are in Europe, the only exception is Australia. Since the facts of beer consumption by country per capita remains somewhat disputed, we will not list the actual amounts consumed by each country. Instead we will focus on the types of beers that each country specializes in. Even though most European countries brew beer, many of them prefer other beverages like wine in Southern Europe and vodka in Russia. That's why  most of the countries listed here, beer is actually a large part of their culture. Most of these listed also have a rich history of brewing beer. Since culture and history are the bases if this article, we have no choice than to start with Germany.

Germany

Germany had the distinction, until very recently of having the most breweries of any country. The USA surpassed Germany with the most breweries with the boom of microbreweries in recent years. Germany still has the most breweries of any European country and if variety is truly the spice of life, than Germans have it made.

The German purity law (Reinheitsgebot), established in 1516 stated that beer could only contain the natural ingredients of water, hops and barley malt. Through the years the law has been amended to include ingredients such as yeast. Even though the German brewers adhere to the purity law, Germany still has a wide variety of beers, that differ widely by regions.

Bavaria, in the southern region, Helles are the most famous. Helles is a lager style beer that is pale and malty. At the Oktoberfest, Bavarian Marzen beer is the normal beer served, which is a malty, medium bodied lager. Cologne is known for their Kolsch beer, which is an ale that is pale with a light body. Dusseldorf is known for its Altbier, which is ale that is dark and hoppy. Dortmund is known for Export beer, a pale malty lager than is less hoppy than most beers. Berlin is know for Berliner Weisse, a wheat ale that is pale and sour.

Even though each region has its specialty, there are many other varieties that are brewed throughout Germany. Pilsner style beer, a pale hoppy lager,  is the most popular. Some the other styles of ales are Weizen (wheat), Weizenbock (strong wheat), Lepziger Gose ( sour wheat), Roggenbier (rye). Other type of lagers include  Eisbock, Bock, Dunklerbock, Mailbock, Doppelbock, Schwarbier, Dunkel, Rauchgier, and Spezial.

England

England is one of the few countries in the world where ales are more the rule than the exception. Also beer is still traditionally matured in caskets at the pubs, instead of at the brewery. Beer in England is normally served at cellar temperatures. Beers in eastern England generally contain more hops than other regions. Traditional styles of English beer are Bitter, Mild, Old Ale, Brown Ale, India Pale Ale, Porter and Stout.

Ireland

Ah yes the home of Guinness. Even though Ireland is famous for its Stouts, Lagers make up the majority of beer brewed in Ireland today. Lagers and Stouts make up about 95% of the market in Ireland. The remaining 5% are ales, mostly dominated by Irish Red Ales.

Scotland

Beer brewing in Scotland goes back thousands of years. When most of the United Kingdom weren’t using hops because of growing climates, Scotland imported hops extensively for their brews. The Scots are known for their great ales and in Scotland beer is usually classified by their alcohol content. Light (under 3.5% abv), Heavy (3.5% to 4.0% abv), Export (4.0% to 5.5% abv) and Wee Heavy (over 5.5%).

Belgium

Right up there with Germany, Belgium has a huge variety of different types of beers. Its history of brewing beer goes back to the middle ages and is noted for their beers brewed by monasteries.  Belgium is known for their Trappist beer, which must be brewed and supervised by the monks of the Trappist Monastery. Beside Trappist beers there many different beer types in Belgium. Some of these include Amber, Blonde, Dubbel, Enkel, Flemish Red, Lambic, Saison, Stout Tripel and White Beer, to name a few.

Denmark

Denmark has some similarity to the U.S. Most of their beer production was dominated by major breweries with an insurgency of smaller microbreweries popping up in recent years. The most common beer is Pale Lager. Some other types of beer include Classic (all malt pale lager) and Hvidtol (white beer). Although seasonal beers are also available throughout Denmark.

Czechoslovakia 

Czechoslovakia has quite a history of brewing, with the first known brewery established in 1118. It’s rumored that Czech’s drink more beer per capita than any other country on earth. This is also the country where pilsner got its name and the largest percentage of the beer brewed is in the pilsner lager style. There are also some wheat beers and darker lagers brewed in Czechoslovakia.

Netherlands

Pale Lagers rule the roost in the Netherlands, with famous brands like Heineken and Grolsch. Other popular beers are mostly imported from other countries.

Norway

Norway has a long history of brewing beer, but due to strict governmental regulations the climate for beer drinkers in Norway is somewhat unfriendly. Like the Netherlands, Pale Lagers are the norm with over 90% of the beer brewed in Norway.

Oktoberfest

Although it’s been a few years since I was at the Oktoberfest, it’s is definitely one of my fondest memories of my stay in Germany. The Oktoberfest in Munich is the granddaddy of all beer fests. Read more....
Beer History

Did you know that beer is one of world’s oldest known beverages? No one knows exactly how far back the brewing of beer goes, but we do know that because of chemical test of ancient pottery that beer dates back about 7,000 years ago... find out more....
Home Brewing

Did you ever ponder the idea of brewing you own beer at home? Click here to get more information. Home Brewing kits starting as low as $39.95