Beer in Baden-Württemberg

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Picture this: a million tiny bubbles floating to the top of your glass, the foam that tickles your nose as you take your first sip. And suddenly, there it is – the taste of SouthWest Germany. Beer made in “Gourmet Country” Baden-Württemberg is an unforgettable experience for all your senses. Countless mid-sized and microbreweries are dedicated to refining this amber nectar, many even granting their visitors special, behind-the-scene looks at their expert brewing processes.

Beer Culture City Ehingen

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Guided tour of the Rothaus Brewery.

Rothaus Brewery in the Black Forest

Many breweries have a restaurant where you can taste the beer and regional food.

This is a mouth-watering prospect for a new generation of beer enthusiasts. In Southwest Germany, the selection of high-quality, regional beers knows no bounds. For years now, the brewing industry has been training its own sommeliers; better still, some of Baden-Württemberg’s best beer sommeliers are women. In fact, more and more women have begun to recognize beer’s unique appeal ever since light and organic beer, beer mixes, and cheeky new beer creations started joining the classics on tap.

Beer is a tradition here, both in the Baden and Württemberg regions. In fact, the world’s very first beer charter was bestowed in the year 776 in Geisingen an der Donau, a small village in the Württemberg region. Just in time for the German Purity Law’s 500th anniversary on April 23, 2016, beer has managed to regain the respect and recognition it so rightly deserves as an ancient heritage and beloved beverage that is better understood by German brewers than anyone else in the world.

The Best of Beer Culture

Baden-Württemberg owes its unbeatable beer diversity and outstanding beer culture to the hard work and imagination of its talented brewers. With 189 breweries, Baden-Württemberg is the second most important beer region in Germany after Bavaria.

Brewers with Heart and Soul

Traditional beer enjoyment and premium, quality ingredients – that’s what this cooperation between four brewing families from Baden-Württemberg has stood for more than a decade. With their ten basic rules, the “Brewers with Heart and Soul” have committed themselves to securing the highest possible beer quality, fostering a regional beer culture, and avoiding having a negative impact on the environment whenever possible.

Beer Culture City of Ehingen

The region between the Swabian Alb and Lake Constance entices visitors with its breathtaking landscapes, a vast array of cultural highlights, and the occasional curiosity: in 2009, the small town of Ehingen was named “Beer Culture City”. This “beer mecca” is home to five breweries that, together, brew more than 50 beer varieties. This quaint little town has the most breweries per capita in all of Baden-Württemberg!

What is the “Reinheitsgebot”, exactly?

The “Reinheitsgebot”, or “German Purity Law”, dates all the way back to 1516 when Duke Wilhelm IV issued a law stating that barley (malt), hops, and water were the only ingredients permitted for the production of beer in Bavaria. Since then, the German Purity Law has become an international standard for brewing exceptional beer.