One of the various things the German people are famous for is beer. With more than thirteen-hundred various breweries spread across the country, beer is a crucial piece of their culture and ancestry. The Czechs and the Irish are the only nations above the Germans as far as beer drinking per capita. The monks started to experiment with brewing around one-thousand A.D.  back in the beginning of German history Eventually, brewing started to become very profitable for the monks and the country’s leaders started to regulate the production of the beer. The Bavarian Reinheitsgebot, or purity requirement, was written in fifteen-sixteen and remains the most prominent and significant factor to effect Germanic brewing.

The Bavarian Reinheitsgebot was ordered by Duke Wilhelm IV of Bavaria to  ensure that Bavarian beers were made of the highest quality. The regulation states that beers should only consist of barley, hops, and water. The Reinheitsgebot is the oldest regulation put on food in the world and has not been changed in nearly five-hundred years. Yeast is the only augmentation to the list of vital ingredients in the act. Yeast that was naturally in the air was what manufacturers before used. Bavarian breweries were soon known as the best producers of beer because of the strict standard of quality followed by the purity standard. As the notoriety of the Bavarian breweries spread across the nation other producers began to follow the proclamation also.

German beers have a long-standing notoriety of making quality beers made only from the best ingredients as a result of the Reinheitsgebot. As time passed and Germany began to export beer, a lot of cities became famed brewing locations. The city of Bremen had over 600 breweries  by fifteen-hundred and was the leading exporter of beer to Holland, Scandinavia, England, and even as far as India. Einbeck and Braunschweig were two more famous brewing towns. In modern-day Germany, most of the nation’s beer-drinking people still prefer fabbier, or draught beer, over bottle beer because of it’s robust taste and right amount of  foam. In an attempt to curtail further outbreaks of the bubonic plague German beer steins became popular about the time the purity requirement came out and are still in use today.

During the time of the black plague, Germany started several regulations to stop its people from becoming ill. Large amounts of infected flies would fly in people’s food and spread the infection. This led to the stein, a drink holder with a closed top that could be operated with the thumb so a person could stop disease and still be able to drink with their free hand. Beer consumption rose exponentially as people began to realize the disease spread in unsanitary conditions with stagnant pools of water. Originally crafted from stoneware with pewter tops, steins grew in popularity. As the pewter guild grew, steins began to be made completely of pewter and stayed that way for over three-hundred years. Still produced today, silver and porcelain steins were eventually introduced.

Today there are over thirteen-hundred and fifty breweries within Germany’s lands that make over five-thousand brands of beer. The oldest beer maker in the world still in operation in the present is the Benedictine abbey Weihenstephan, that has been making beer since 1040. The most concentrated area in Germany for beer makers is the Franconia region of Bavaria by the city Bamberg. Most beers can be placed by ales and lagers but German beer makers produce a large variety of flavors. Some types of beer can have an alcoholic content as high as 12%, making them stronger than most wines even though most beers have an alcoholic content  from 4.7% to 5.4%.

For any person who enjoys a good jar of beer there is a special place in Old Havana, and I might say that it’s definitely a “must” for every visitor who comes to Havana city in their Cuba vacations. La Muralla Tavern has become a great spot for those who stroll through the beautiful squares of the Historic Centre of the Cuban capitol and want to take a cool drink in the hot and humid seasons of this Caribbean island. Set in a corner of the lovely Plaza Vieja, this tavern has tables outside and is a fantastic place to try micro-brewed beers and listen to live bands. Those looking for draught beers in Havana, this is the place to be.

But why this place is so special anyway? Well this is the only micro-brewery to be found in Havana! The brewery is well worth a visit, because it serves delicious home-brewed beer and tasty meals in its barbeque, set within a beautiful 18th century building with plenty of outdoor seating to watch the world go by.

As many people say, this is where you’ll get the best beer in town! Two kinds (light and dark) of this exquisite drink are made in the mini-brewery’s vats, using raw materials from Austria. The Austrian firm Salm and the Cuban Habaguanex have come together to open this unique tavern in June 2003.

Plus, the place is a factory and museum where curious objects linked to the world of beer consume are exposed. In the back of the tavern you can also visit the brewery installations. So make sure you learn about beer-making in your visit.

Looking for a quick bite? You can stop for a bite to eat in this bohemian tavern as well. They have an outdoor barbeque that serves delicious grilled skewers of shrimp, lobster, pork, chicken and chorizo sausage. If you are feeling hungry after drinking you can choose from among hamburgers and sandwiches too. I highly recommend to sit on the patio under the stars, where the atmosphere is wonderful, there is great live music, and you can truly appreciate what a magnificent job has been of restoring the area to its original colonial splendor. Or, if you prefer more intimacy, you can choose the cozy air-conditioned tavern, with special offers. One hour after the 9pm cannon-shooting ceremony, visitors can enjoy a bowl of typical Cuban “ajiaco” on the house.

Sitting in the precious inner yard to drink a few cool jars is quite pleasing as well. There are two roosters and a lavish vegetation that gives a beautiful touch to the decoration. You can even admire the paintings of famous Cuban contemporary artists like Kcho and Nelson Domínguez. at the walls of the tavern. Moreover, an ancient automobile (a Ford of 1913) that served to transport beer barrels is nowadays the principal attraction for children, who likes to get in and play.

The tavern could not have asked for a better location than Plaza Vieja, where it is so pleasant to have a drink while observing the moving multitude outside. So, if you are planning to visit Old Havana make sure to drink a cool jar of home-brewed beer at La Muralla Tavern and enjoy the beer-making show!

There is no school like the old school. And good old school styled team building is when the boss takes the team out for beers. It’s tried and true, but is it really effective?

Consider that a good team building experience should:

1) Provide a shared experience

2) Promote disclosure among participants

3) Level the playing field between colleagues

4) Build trust

5) Increase self-awareness

Let’s break it down and see if old-school team building works.

How does drinking beer with a team of colleagues score on these five team building elements? We’ll rate on a scale of 1 (low) to 10 (high).

1) Drinking beer provides a shared experience. In its extreme, a shared experience is the Sgt. Hulka boot camp phenomenon. Put people through an activity where they have an intense experience (even a bad one), and it usually builds camaraderie over the long term. It’s the common bond of accomplishment, a common goal and shared memories.

We’d give beer a 5 out of 10 on this one. Sometimes the challenges around the experience aren’t very challenging, and the whole beery evening can be forgettable. Other times stories are exchanged, bar games are played, and the evening leaves everyone more relaxed, and aware of some different things that are happening in the lives of their colleagues.

2) Drinking beer promotes disclosure. Disclosure builds trust. Trust builds team. Why? When you tell me something about yourself, you are making an investment in me, in us. You grant me the honor of trusting me with that information. Second, your disclosure may reveal some talent about yourself that I’m not aware of; a talent that might one day provide me with some comfort when the time comes for me to choose whether I can rely on you or not. For example, a manager finds out his new analyst is also an amateur thespian. She may then be more comfortable when the analyst has to make an important investor presentation during her vacation week.

Beer gets a 9 out of 10 on disclosure. Although, beer can prompt the disclosure of wrong information, especially if one drinks too much, the pub loosens the environment and allows for some history on each of us to be passed around. The environment promotes disclosure. The purpose of being at a bar is to socialize. Mostly, this is a good thing.

3. Drinking beer levels the playing field. The hierarchy of the office needs to be set aside as much as it can for hidden talents and skills to come out, and for mutual respect and relationships to grow. Everybody has to feel like they can contribute to whatever is happening. If we all feel like we have to do what the boss says, period, then the playing field isn’t level.

Beer gets a 7 on this one. Once you’re in the bar, the hierarchy gets all turned around. Yes, you’ll probably still laugh at the boss’s jokes, but the leader of the experience is more likely to be the most engaging member of the team, or the best darts player, or the funniest. The downside? Some people don’t like bars or pubs, so some members of the team might not participate at all. (Actually the Down Side is not a bad name for a pub, is it?)

4. Drinking beer builds trust. A good experience forces us to rely on others to succeed, and requires different skills than are necessarily required to do our day-to-day jobs. This is unlikely to happen at the bar, unless your team gets to win at darts against the forces of evil (talk about “old school”), who happen to have chosen the same bar for their team building.

Beer gets a 3 on trust building. Generally, no direct trust building is going on here. But, it still gets a 3 because we can put a checkmark in the ‘promotes disclosure’ box and as we’ve said, that’s a foundation step to building trust.

5. Drinking beer increases self-awareness A good team building experience includes time set aside for structured introspection, where participants have a chance to debrief their reactions to the experience and think about their reactions, their communication and their effect on others.

Other than the slovenly cab ride home and taking your tie or earrings off in front of the bathroom vanity not much.  Drinking beer gets a 1 on self-awareness.

Total score: Drinking Beer scores a 25 out of 50 on our teambuilding scale. Significant, but not a home run.

But let’s look at that score from a glass half-full perspective. Armed with this awareness about what makes a good teambuilding experience, and knowing that a simple trip to the local watering hole can get you halfway there, it can’t be that tough to come up with a plan for a potentially great team building experience.

When most people think of a team building experience, it usually involves some increased component of physical risk; the much cliched trust fall, a ropes course, a scavenger hunt, or a mock Olympics. Hidden talents emerge, the hierarchy can shift, and if it’s set up correctly and well debriefed, self-awareness is boosted. We help each other through this challenge, and we all have a good laugh and feel good about being supported and supporting our colleagues. A physical team challenge gets people out of their heads, and out of the hierarchy – especially if it’s professionally facilitated like the Outward Bound adventures – and can be the right call to help a groups improve their team performance.

There are risks. What’s the Down Side? (besides a great name for a bar?) One drawback is that it’s too far removed from the work environment, and without facilitated dialog, the potential learning never surfaces. A second problem is that someone gets hurt. As quick as it takes to get poked in the eye or sprain an ankle, the benefit from the experience can be undone.

The truth is you can build a sense of team around any type of content. Make a wish about what your team could do better, and turn that wish into a team-building, skill-building event. Instead of mountain climbing, make the focus overcoming obstacles using new problem solving skills. Instead of cooking, make the content a recipe for listening and giving feedback. Instead of wine tasting: a meeting on how to cultivate an environment that values innovation. Instead of a scavenger hunt, a public speaking session on finding ways to give clear and effective presentations.

It’s all about layering: being deliberate about achieving multiple objectives whenever your team is face-to-face. Build team and at the same time build durable skills; skills that are useful professionally and personally, and lay the groundwork for your team to communicate and work more effectively together.

And then, celebrate with a beer, because it sure beats a poke in the eye.

One of the various things the German people are known for is beer. Beer is an essential piece of their tradition and heritage, with over thirteen-hundred varied breweries spanning the country. As far as per capita beer consumption, the Germans are only behind the Czechs and the Irish. The history of Germanic brew spans back to the beginnings of the nation when monks started to experiment with brewing around 1000 A.D. The country’s leaders eventually started to legislate the manufacturing of beer as brewing started to be more and more profitable. The most well-known and significant component to effect Germanic brewing came in 1516 with the Bavarian Reinheitsgebot, or the purity standard.

To  make sure that Bavarian beers were only the highest quality the Duke Wilhelm IV authorized the Bavarian Reinheitsgebot. Hops, barley, and water are the only ingredients that should go in in beer according to the law. The Reinheitsgebot is the oldest regulation placed on food in the world and has remain unchanged in nearly five-hundred years. Yeast is the only inclusion to the list of crucial ingredients in the act. Yeast found naturally in the air was what manufacturers before used. Bavarian breweries were soon considered the superior makers of beer because of the strict standard of quality following by the purity requirement. As the prominence of the Bavarian breweries spread around the nation other manufacturers started to follow the proclamation as well.

German beers have a long-standing reputation of making quality brews made only from the purest ingredients as a result of the Reinheitsgebot. As time passed and Germany began to ship out beer, some cities became famed brewing locations. By fifteen-hundred, Scandinavia, Holland, England, and  as far as India principally recieved their beer from one of the more than 600 breweries in the city of Bremen. Two more famed brewing cities were Einbeck and Braunschweig. In modern-day Germany, the majority of the country’s drinking people still choose fabbier, or draught beer, over bottled beer because of it’s robust flavor and perfect amount of  foam. In an effort to curtail more outbreaks of the bubonic plague German beer steins became popular about the time the purity standard came about and are still used today.

During the time of the bubonic plague, Germany originated a lot of laws to prevent its citizens from getting ill. Massive amounts of infected flies would land in people’s food and spread the infection. This led to the German beer stein, a beverage container with a hinged lid that could be used with the thumb so a person could stop infection and still be able to drink with one hand. Beer drinking rose exponentially as citizens started to realize the disease spread in unsanitary conditions with brackish pools of water. Originally made of stoneware with pewter lids, steins grew in popularity. Steins began to be manufactured entirely of pewter for nearly 300 years as the pewter guild grew. Eventually, porcelain and silver German beer steins were introduced and are still produced today.

Nowadays there are over 1350 breweries within Germany’s lands that produce over five-thousand brands of beer. The Benedictine abbey Weihenstephan, which has been producing beer since one-thousand and forty, is reported as the oldest brewery in the world. The most concentrated area in Germany for beer makers is the Franconia region of Bavaria by the city Bamberg. German breweries produce a wide variety of tastes and brands of beer with the majority of them able to be placed under ales or lagers. Some brands of beer may have an alcoholic content as high as 12%, making them more potent than a lot of wines even though most beers have an alcoholic content ranging from 4.7% to 5.4%.

Over 90 million of Americans are regular beer drinkers! It is a habit that could be very hard to give up even if what you get in return is a skinny healthy body. Beer just as any other alcoholic beverage contains a lot of calories. Your body converts those calories into fat cells in the most convenient places, which unfortunately happens to be around your stomach. So is there a way to have a flat abdomen while still being able to enjoy a few beers with your friends?

The key to balancing those beer cravings and being slim is moderation. I guess everything done in excess can be harmful for your health. So to define moderation when it comes to beer it should be no more than 1-2 beers a day.Some studies have actually proven drinking beer in moderation to reduce the effects of cholesterol, heart disease or even some types of cancer in spite of the common opinion that drinking alcohol leads to health problems. So as long as you don’t go crazy by pounding a 12-pack in one evening and follow some rules about your diet and exercise you should be able to have fun and have a sexy body at the same time.

The first step in getting rid of your beer belly is stocking up on patience. It might have taken you a few weeks to put on weight, but unfortunately it will take you several months to get rid of it. The first few months there might not be any noticeable results, but if you keep being consistent you will get those extra inches off your waste.

As mentioned before, the other important part of loosing weight is your diet. It does not mean that you have to starve yourself until you nearly faint. For more details www.dishadvice.com It simply means that you need to be conscious of what kind of foods you eat and how many calories those foods contain.

First of all, it is a very good idea to switch to light beers. A lot of times you won’t even be able to tell the difference in taste, but the amount of calories is way lower. For example, Budweiser contains 145 calories compared to 110 in Bud Light, 142 calories in Coors compared to 102 in Coors Light, 143 calories in Keystone compared to 104 calories in Keystone Light.

Eliminating soda from your diet will also help a lot since, just like beers, sodas have a lot of calories in them. Try switching to water instead.

Most people think that eating less is good for losing weight, when in fact it is wrong. When we start eating less our body goes into starvation mode by slowing down the metabolism and saving up fat. So instead of losing weight you find yourself gaining pounds. If you start eating 5 smaller meals instead of the big 3, your metabolism will speed up and you will lose weight. Eat enough to just satisfy your hunger and make sure that you eat healthy natural foods that do not contain chemicals or genetically modified elements. This includes avoiding fast food altogether and eating more fruit and vegetables.

Another essential part of losing weight is exercise. A very common myth is that the way to get rid of extra weight around your waste is by doing sit-ups and crunches. For more details www.camping-outdoors-recipes.com Although it is a very good way to build muscle, crunches and sit-ups are not going to be effective when it comes to losing excess fat, your muscles will still be covered under layers of fat. You need to concentrate on aerobic and cardiovascular exercise in order to get rid of extra weight first and then switch to sit-ups and crunches to tone your abdomen. Good fat burning exercises would be running, swimming, cycling, certain martial arts, tennis or any other physical activity that gets your heart pumping and makes you sweat. You can combine these, for example one day you can swim for 20 minutes and run the elliptical for 30 minutes, and next day you can run for 20-30 minutes and play tennis for 1 hour.

Cutting down on your beer intake, keeping to a healthy diet and exercising on a regular basis is all it takes to have a healthy slim body. It may sound like quite a lifestyle change but the results are well worth it. There is no reason why you shouldn’t be able to enjoy six-pack abs and a six-pack of beer!

There are many different styles of beer, but in judging beers there are 9 common classes that will be reviewed. This article summarizes one of these distinct classes of beer.

Class 1: Light Lagers

Light lagers basically consist of American Light (Budweiser, Coors, Michelob) and Pre-prohibition, German and Bohemian pilsners (Bitburger, Pilsner Urquell), Dortmunder Export (Stoudt’s Gold) and Munich Helles (Spaten Premium).

1. Light Lager

Styles

1. 1A. Lite American Lager

2. 1B. Standard American Lager

3. 1C. Premium American Lager

4. 1D. Munich Helles

5. 1E. Dortmunder Export

1A. Lite American Lager

Overall Impression: Very light, refreshing.

Comments: A lower calorie beer than standard international lagers. Not the strongest flavors. these beers were designed to appeal to massive populations.

Commercial Examples: Miller Lite, Bud Light, Coors Light, Amstel Light

1B. Standard American Lager

Comments: Flavors still not too strong. The standard lager is the most popular and the most mass-marketed.

Commercial Examples: Miller High Life, Budweiser, Kirin Lager, Molson Golden, Corona Extra, Foster’s Lager

1C. Premium American Lager

Overall Impression: More filling than lite versions. Still a very light beer. Refreshing.

Comments: More flavor than stadard/lite lagers, but no strong flavors present in the beer. Again, another mass market beer, however, much heavier than the others mentioned. The green bottled imports are included here like Heineken, for example.

Commercial Examples: Miller Genuine Draft, Michelob, Coors Extra Gold, Heineken, Beck’s, Stella Artois, Singha

1D. Munich Helles

Overall Impression: Malty but fully attenuated.

History: Created in Munich in 1895 at the Spaten brewery by Gabriel Sedlmayr. This beer was designed to compete directly with the ever-popular Pilsner style beers.

Comments: this beer focuses on malt flavor with some hop bitterness, which is much unlike the Pilsner style.

Commercial Examples: Hacker-Pschorr M̹nchner Helles, Paulaner Premium Lager, Spaten Premium Lager, Andechser Hell, Augustiner Lagerbier Hell, Weihenstephaner Original, Stoudt’s Gold Lager

1E. Dortmunder Export

Very well balanced, light copper colored beer. hop profile of a Munich Helles, hopped like a pilsner, but tends to be a bit stronger than those.

History: Born in the Dortmund industrial region, Dortmunder has been losing its popularity drastically in the region.

Commercial Examples: DAB Export, Dortmunder Union Export, Dortmunder Kronen, Ayinger Jahrhundert, Great Lakes Dortmunder Gold, Saratoga Lager, Dominion Lager, Gordon Biersch Golden Export

Four of the best alternatives to beer for a hot summer’s day:

#1 Gin and tonic

A gin and tonic is what is known as a ‘highball cocktail’ (basically, a mixer), of about equal parts gin and tonic water, with ice and a slice of lemon. Both the gin and the tonic should be kept cold before pouring. Because it’s cool and not too sweet, it’s a great refreshing drink when it’s hot out. And the quinine in tonic water will even prevent malaria! Which is always useful.

#2 Hard cider

Alcoholic cider is made from crushed and fermented apples, so it’s sweeter and more tasty than beer. However, just like beer it’s pretty light, refreshing and easy to drink more than one of. Like beer it’s best served cold, and it’s roughly the same alcohol content as well. If you’re sick of beer, but still want something as easy, refreshing and convenient, definitely try cider.

#3 Chili vodka and dry ginger ale

This sounds weird, but it’s actually a great, different, summer drink that will surprise and amaze your friends. To make it, you just need to put 3-5 normal chilies into a bottle of vodka and let them infuse for about two days. Then serve it with some chilled dry ginger ale and a few ice cubes. This is an amazing drink with a real kick. It won’t be to everyone’s tastes, but we think it’s great.

#4 Rum and soda

This is an absolute summer classic, and very simple. It’s just rum (an aged rum is best) poured into a glass of crushed ice (or just cubes if they’re all you have), and topped with a splash of soda water.

Note: Beer is beer and nothing can beat that

Beer is one thing that is irresistible for numerous individuals. There are people, who like to have beer all the time irrespective of the time of the day. They just desire to have beer glass in their hands all the time. However they do not know the ill effects of beer on their health. It is one of the reasons of extra fat in your body. In fact, it makes your body acquire a fat belly in a short period of time.

You may notice that if you have a beer belly, you will not look attractive and everyone will ignore you. In the way, you might have a deep impact on your life. Henceforth, it is advisable for all the beer-drinkers to avoid drinking beer otherwise they too might develop a beer belly, which can look ugly.

However, there are numerous doctors, who advise the individuals to binge on beer to shed weight. This is possible, when you are confident that it does not contain carbohydrates in large quantities. Numerous individuals believe that intake of light beer will never result in large quantity of carbohydrates. Still, the fact is that no beer contains the exact amount of any ingredients.

Thus in many cases, ‘binge beer to shed weight’ does not apply and people often gets over bulky. Individuals having extra body fat due to beer should be on low carbohydrate diet. If the beer contains little amount of carbohydrate, you can carry on with it even during any weight loss program.

For those of you who like to drink beer there are many different ways that you can enjoy the refreshing taste. The main ways are with a beer can or beer bottles. When you are choosing your brand of beer you will notice that you have a selection of beers that are quite delicious when they have been cooled down. The bottles themselves can perhaps be regarded as being reminded of the beer type that you like.

While the majority of beer bottles are small sized – just a little larger than cans – they hold more than enough beer to quench your thirst. You will find that the colors of the glass are based on coloring that will protect the beer from degrading. The main colors you will find these beer bottles in are amber, dark green, blue and even brown. The darker glass which is used has been specially developed to ensure that the amount of sunlight which might hit the bottle is reduced.

In some cases you may find that using beer bottles is quite impractical as you need to be careful when you are handling these bottles or even moving them. Since the beer bottles are made solely from glass you will that chilling the bottle is easy but a little risky. However the risk there are lots of advantages to using beer bottles that you will not find in beer cans.

For instance in some countries these beer bottles are used as thief deterrents. This is accomplished by breaking the bottles into pieces. The broken ends are placed in the ground, walls and other places where you want security. The sharp edges which protrude out of the ground will make sure any burger that comes around will get a nasty surprise.

Now this is not the only great thing which can be found with beer bottles. Beer bottles have the advantage of being easily recyclable material. The aluminum cans on the other hand pose a greater problem. When you put your glass beer bottles for recycling you are providing the beer companies a way by which they can re-use.

The many different uses of beer bottles are apparent from the way we use them to protect our homes, take care of the environment and of course drink beer with some style. The beer bottles that you see in supermarkets all play their part in letting you choose the best method to drinking beer. Now sit back in a relaxing chair and take a long swig of chilled beer from your beer bottle and see life roll lazily by you.

The Germans are renowned for a lot of things; one of them is beer. Beer is an important part of their tradition and heritage, with more than thirteen-hundred different breweries spread across the land. As far as per capita beer drinking, the Germans are only below the Czechs and the Irish. The history of Germanic beer goes back to the beginnings of the nation when monks began to experiment with brewing around 1000 A.D. Eventually, brewing started to become really profitable for the monks and the nation’s leaders started to regulate the manufacturing of the brew. The most well-known and significant factor to influence German brewing came about in 1516 with the Bavarian Reinheitsgebot, or the purity requirement.

To  ensure  Bavarian beers were only the best quality the Duke Wilhelm IV ordered the Bavarian Reinheitsgebot. Water, hops, and barley are the only ingredients allowed in beer according to the regulation. The Reinheitsgebot is the oldest legislation put on beverages in the world and has been unaltered in almost five-hundred years. Yeast is the only addition to the list of vital ingredients in the act. Brewers in the past before that had simply used the yeast found naturally in the air. Bavarian breweries were soon known as the superior producers of beer because of the strict standard of quality following by the purity requirement. Other manufacturers began to adhere to the act as the reputation of the Bavarian breweries continued to rise.

As a result of the Reinheitsgebot, Germanic beers have a long-standing reputation of producing quality beers made out of the best ingredients. As time went on and Germany began to export beer, some towns became famed brewing spots. The city of Bremen had over 600 breweries  by fifteen-hundred and was the top exporter of beer to Holland, Scandinavia, England, and even as far as India. A couple of other famous brewing towns were Einbeck and Braunschweig. In modern Germany, most of the country’s beer-drinking people still choose fabbier, or draught beer, over bottle beer because of it’s full-bodied flavor and right amount of head foam. In an attempt to curtail more breakouts of the black plague German beer steins came into use about the time the purity requirement came out and are still in use today.

During the era of the bubonic plague, Germany began a lot of regulations to prevent its people from becoming ill. Disease would spread as large amounts of infected flies landed in people’s food and drink. This led to the German beer stein, a beverage holder with a closed lid that is operated with the thumb so a person could stop infection and still be able to drink with one hand. As people started to learn the plague spread in unclean conditions with stale water, beer consumption went up exponentially. Steins were originally made of stoneware with pewter lids. German beer steins started to be crafted entirely of pewter for nearly three-hundred years as the pewter guild became more powerful. Still manufactured today, silver and porcelain German beer steins were eventually introduced.

Today there are over thirteen-hundred and fifty breweries within Germany’s borders that make over five-thousand types of beer. The oldest beer maker in the world still in operation in the present is the Benedictine abbey Weihenstephan, that has been making beer since 1040. The Franconia region of Bavaria by the city Bamberg is the highest concentrated area for breweries in Germany. Most beers can be placed under ales and lagers but German breweries produce a large variety of flavors. Some brands of beer can have an alcoholic content as much as 12%, making them stronger than most wines even though most beers have an alcoholic content ranging from 4.7% to 5.4%.