h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Beer being served by the litre in Germany is just a nasty rumour.
Ok, it depends where you are, but unless you're at a Bavarian Bierfest you're not likely to get more than half a pint at best.
In Düsseldorf the local Altbier (very nice beer it is as well) is presented in a practically invisible 200 ml glass, which if you think about ti is the same quantity of eight shot measures. Which isn't a lot when the pub's busy and there's some time inbetween rounds. Fortunately, there are always pubs where it keeps flowing so isn't a problem.

Kölsch is also served in miniscule glasses - the local excuse is that it is no good unless drunk "fresh"! The good people of Cologne need to drink quicker, methinks

Brother Gra wrote:
>Kölsch is also served in miniscule glasses - the local excuse
>is that it is no good unless drunk "fresh"!

Of couse Kölsch has to be served and drunk "fresh", that's also the reason, why it isn't exported (maybe you'll find 'Dom' somewhere outside the Rhineland, but that is an exemption).
If you drink your Kölsch very quickly it gets old beer (->Altbier ).
BTW, Kölsch glasses are called 'Stangen'.

Australians claim that they drink out of small glasses because otherwise the beer gets too hot.
As Australians are generally alcoholics they know what they are talking about.
Germans give no reasonable excuse for drinking out of small glasses. They don't seem to drink up to their stereotype either (perhaps that's only Bavaria).
Germany, get your coat.

The truth is completely different. Almost every beer is served in 02. and 0. litre glasses, with 05. being common. Most Bavarian beers (Weißbier...) are served only in 0.5 litre glasses (one pint) throughout the country. Beer in One litre glasses are available everywhere in Bavaria, on some bigger celebration they are available in one litre glasses.

At least for the people living in the Rhineland, Kölsch is the ultimate beer (and that's true), as said, you can only drink it fresh (try to drink it when it's old), and by the way, you can get it everywhere in glasses of one pint.

Concluding: Almost anytime when Germans drink beer in a pub or restaurant, they order one pint. When you order just "a beer" without saying "small" or "big" you will get one pint.

You're right, you can get pints, but it make you an obvious tourist.

No, definetely not! Believe me, the common way for Germans to drink beer in a pub or restaurant is to drink one pint.

What part of Germany are you talking about? I've not once seen a German drinking a pint in the Cologne-Düsseldorf area after a year living here.

I live in Bonn, 32 km from Köln (Cologne). In Düsseldorf they drink that (not very tasty) Altbier, it might be different there. But if you go to pubs in Cologne, you should see Germans drinking pints.

Ich war noch nie in Bonn. Das erklärt was. Gut zu wissen, daß ihr Deutschland beim trinken gut vertreten können!

Persönlich gefällt mir jedoch Alt, vielleicht weil es etwas wie manche englischen Biere schmeckt.

Austrian Beer is much better! Ha! And we also usually drink pints!