The Culture of Drinking in Germany
As I have mentioned before in the pre-departure report, one of the major aspects of the difference in culture between the United States and Germany is the role of alcohol in culture. The drinking age is substantially lower in Germany, at 16 instead of 21, and the beer is a commonplace and acceptable everyday drink. The company visit to famous local Augsburg brewery Riegele was a great example of this difference in culture. Now, Riegele does sell more than just beer – its line includes other beverages and products, including soda (Spezi) and mineral water (Mozartwaser). However, the leniency of drinking alcohol is much different than in America, as evidenced right away by the Riegele-brand vending machine located in the lobby of our hotel. In addition to vending sodas, the machine also sells two of Riegele’s famed beers.
Touring the factory and speaking with the German students and adults, it seems that most Germans are well educated on the different kinds of beer and the appropriate alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks for different types of meals. Dark beer, light beer, white beer, unfiltered and filtered are not just distinctions used by beer aficionados and connoisseurs, but are differentiations considered to be common knowledge to the German people. And the consumption of alcoholic beverages is so much more commonplace in Germany that the students do not understand the concept of underage drinking when we shared how drinking is dealt with in the United States. While drinking may seem to be a whimsical, youthful practice, it seems that the predominance and availability of alcoholic drinks in the German culture makes it a part of the professional world as well – to be knowledgeable in the aspects of alcohol is to be respectful of what Germans, and most likely other Europeans consider to be an vital part of their meals and culture.