EXPORT

AKA:
Dortmunder

Pronunciation guide for English-speakers:
Pronounce it as if it were an English word

Definition:
Traditionally, any beer that was brewed slightly stronger than a regular beer—for "export"—was considered an Export, even if the transport distance was only to the next town or the next state. Because alcohol functions as a preservative, even brewers in antiquity had learned that strong beer keeps better than weak beer. Alcoholic strength, therefore, is a defining characteristic of an "export" brew.

More specifically, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the term Export started to denote a blond lager brewed in the city of Dortmund, a Dortmunder Export. The breweries of Dortmund, situated in the center of the German coal and steel region of the Ruhr District, used to brew a beer for its hard working customers that was a just few percentage points stronger than the average blond lager available in Germany at the time. Thus, it was an "export" beer.

Nowadays, any beer may be labeled an Export, including a Helles, a Dunkel, or a Pils or Pilsner, provided it has a few extra percents of alcohol by volume than its non-export foundation brew.

Until the 1970s, Export was far and away Germany's most common beer style. In the 1980s, however, the full-bodied Export was replaced by the racier, spritzier, more assertively hopped Pils. Pils now holds a commanding lead in popularity, with more than 60% market share. Yet, Export appears to have bottomed out and is growing again, at roughly 2 to 3% per year. Nationwide, it now has a market share of over 12%, behind Pils and before third-ranked Weissbier, which has slightly above 8%.

For further details on Export, see Dortmunder.