In general, but especially in northern Germany, the light "Pilsener" with little hops is favored. An amber colored "Alt" (a top-fermented dark beer) is popular in Düsseldorf and in the Lower Rhine valleys. In Cologne people drink the golden "Kölsch" which is brewed with lots of hops and served in so called "Stangen" (straight, narrow glasses).
The dark "Schwarzbier", served in an elegant tulip-shaped glass, is starting to regain its former popularity. This very old beer is mainly brewed in the regions of former East Germany - in Thuringia and Saxony, as well as in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Beer has been brewed in the Altmark region in the north of Saxony-Anhalt since 1300. Today, the "Altmark Beer and Hop Trail" gives visitors an insight into more than 500 years of brewing in the region. It is a beer drinker's paradise with brewery tours, exhibitions and pletny of opportunities to taste the local brew.
An very unique local specialty is "Rauchbier" (smoked beer) which is brewed in Bamberg, Bavaria. It has a unique ham flavor to it because the malt is dried over an open fire in the first place. Further down south, a lager rich in malt is dominant. This area is also home to the "Weissbier" or "Hefeweizen" (a highly frothing, top-fermented beer), slightly cloudy due to the yeast.
"Weihenstephan", the world's oldest brewery, is located in Freising, a town near Munich in Bavaria. As early as in 1040 monks were brewing beer in Weihenstephan. But for special occasions the dukes of Bavaria ordered "Bockbier" (very strong beer) from Einbeck near Hannover. To the present day the tradition in Munich has it to open the strong beer season with a specially brewed "Doppelbock" (extra strong beer).
