The German Brew Industry
A Tradition of Variety, Flavor and Excellence
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There is no place on earth with a longer brewing tradition than Germany. To be sure, beer was not invented in Germany— that honor goes to the Sumerians of the Middle East, who became mankind’s first beer-makers some 10 thousand years ago. It is in Germany, however, that we find both the oldest archeological evidence of brewing in Europe, a Celtic beer amphora from about 800 BC. In the city of Regensburg along the Danube Germany is also where we find the world's oldest preserved malting plant and brewhouse for making beer by modern techniques. This installation dates from round 180 AD, from the Roman occupation of central Europe, which was then known as "germania."

As is the case in many branches of industry all over the world, the German brew industry, too, has not escaped the general trend towards concentration and consolidation. Many small and mid-size breweries have merged during the past few decades to create synergies and greater economic efficiencies. Others have been bought out by bigger players. Many have quietly just gone by the wayside. There were almost twce as many breweries in Germany in the 1960s than there are left today.here were many, many more in the past. To quantify the reduction in numbers, Bavaria has about 40% fewer breweries today than it did in the year 1960.

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German Beer Institute
The German Beer Portal for North America