There are more than 1200 breweries in Germany, producing some 5000 different beers on tap. To this day German beer is produced as stipulated by law in 1516, by mixing malt, water, hops, yeast, and nothing else.

Different beers are popular in different parts of Germany: In northern Germany, the light Pilsener with very little hops is favored. An amber-colored Alt, a top-fermented dark beer, is popular in Duesseldorf and in the lower Rhine Valley. In Cologne, people drink the light yellow Koelsch, which is brewed with lots of hops and served in straight narrow glasses called Stangen. Further south, a lager with more malt is dominant. Southern Germany is also the home of the Weizen or "white beer", a light, highly effervescent, top-fermented beer, slightly cloudy due to the yeast. This beer is rapidly becoming popular everywhere.