Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [60]
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Horst Dornbusch’s Prost!: The Story of German Beer is exactly that.
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THE INDUSTRY
German beer is brewed by more than 1200 breweries, although many traditionally family-run concerns have been swallowed up by the big-boy brewers. Bremen-based Beck’s, producer of one of Germany’s best-known beers since 1873, was bought out by Belgian beer giant Interbrew in 2002, while Hamburg’s Holsten (founded 1879) now has its roots firmly embedded in the USA.
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BREWERY TOURS
Most visitors to Germany are content just to quaff the country’s excellent beer – whether from a huge Bavarian stein or one of Cologne’s trademark skinny glasses. The more curious might be interested to see how it’s mixed.
You can do this at any of the Holsten breweries (www.holsten.de), while Beck’s Click here and Friesisches Brauhaus zu Jever also run tours. Meanwhile, the art of 19th-century beer-making is unravelled at Maisel’s Brauerei-und-Büttnerei-Museum in Bayreuth, the world’s most comprehensive beer museum (according to Guinness World Records). Tour details are included in the regional chapters.
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Still, 11 German monasteries continue to produce beer. Kloster Weltenburg, near Kelheim on the Danube north of Munich, is the world’s oldest monastery brewery, whose Weltenburg Barock Dunckel won a medal at the 2006 World Beer Cup in Seattle. This light, smooth beer has a malty, toasty finish.
Other connoisseurs believe the earthy Andechs Doppelbock Dunkel, produced by the Benedictines in Andechs near Munich, to be among the world’s best.
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Wine
Its name sullied for decades by the cloyingly sugary taste of Liebfraumilch white wine, German wine has been making a comeback in the 21st century. Following the 2002 marketing campaign – ‘If you think you know German wine, drink again’ – in the industry’s biggest export market, the UK, sellers have been talking of a renaissance. And although the re-evaluation is still in its beginnings, it’s not all public-relations hype. Even discerning critics have been pouring praise on German winemakers, with Decanter magazine awarding Weingut Meyer-Näkel’s Dernauer Pfarrwingert Spätburgunder Grosses Gewächs 2005 the top international trophy for Pinot noir in 2008, much to the astonishment of wine experts globally. It’s been reported that a symphony of gasps filled the room when the winner was announced at the prestigious awards ceremony.
Germany is most commonly associated with white wines made from riesling grapes. According to Tim Atkin, wine correspondent for the UK’s Observer newspaper, wine producers in Australia, Austria and Alsace have recently done Germany a favour in using and promoting the grape. This, he says, ‘has helped consumers realise that Germany makes the best rieslings of all’. At the same time, the country itself has had ‘a tremendous run of vintages since 2000’, and its midrange wines have markedly improved, with brands like Devil’s Rock (www.devils-rock.com), Dr Loosen (www.drloosen.com) and the Vineyard Creatures series (www.lingenfelder.com).
Having produced wines since Roman times, Germany now has more than 100,000 hectares of vineyards, mostly on the Rhine and Moselle riverbanks. Despite the common association with riesling grapes (particularly in its best wine regions) the less acidic Müller-Thurgau (Rivaner) grape is more widespread. Meanwhile, the Gewürztraminer grape produces spicy wines with an intense bouquet. What Germans call Grauburgunder is known to the rest of the world as Pinot gris.
German reds are light and lesser known. Spätburgunder (Pinot noir), is the best of the bunch and goes into some velvety, full-bodied reds with an occasional almond taste.
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Germany’s wine market, from medieval times to the present, is the fascinating focus of The Wines of Germany by Stephen Brook. Among other things, he addresses the question of why German wine has long been mocked.
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WINE REGIONS
There are 13 official wine-growing areas, the