Germany is famous for a lot of things: luxury car brands (Porsche, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz, just to name a few), beautiful castles (there are around 25,000 around the country), and, of course, beer. To say that Germans love their beer is an understatement.
Prior to the 20th century, water wasn’t really safe to drink because of all the contaminants in it. On top of that, a law called Reinheitgebot was enacted in 1516 that basically stipulates only water, hops and malt can be used in the brewing of beer.
As a result of this law, beer was a lot safer to imbibe than water.
In the 19th century, factory owners also encouraged their hard-working employees to drink beer because it was rich in calories. They also secretly wanted to keep them away from the schnapps that their men often overindulge in.
Brewing beer is also an activity ingrained in German culture–they have around 1,300 breweries throughout the country and 5,000 beer brands.
Oktoberfest, now a worldwide annual festival, celebrates Bavarian culture and, unsurprisingly, beer. It began as a celebration over 200 years ago during the wedding of Bavaria’s Crown Prince Ludwig to Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen.
Since their wedding took place in October of 1810, it was decided that people in the area would reprise the festivities every year in October, giving rise to the name Oktoberfest.
The weather gets a little bit chilly by October, though, so the date was moved up to September a few years later.
In honor of Oktoberfest, let’s take a look at some beer-related German sayings that demonstrate the love affair between Germans and beer.
1. I’ve got a tom cat
German: Ich habe einen Kater
Taken literally, this phrase doesn’t have anything to do with beer or Oktoberfest. When your roommate stumbles out of his room at 2pm and utters this phrase, though, he means that he has a hangover.
Kater means both a male cat and hangover in Germany today, but once upon a time, the word Katharr was used to describe an illness (perhaps caused by a state of being hungover).
2. Drink until you forget your mother tongue
German: Saufen bis zum Verlust der Muttersprache
Is it possible to forget one’s mother tongue? Normally, that’s probably a hard thing to do, but anything is possible after a few drinks!
3. Thirst is only nice if accompanied by beer
German: Durst wird durch Bier erst schön
Thirst is not a pleasant feeling, but thankfully Germans have just the right cure for it. A glass of cold, frothy beer makes thirst all the more bearable.
4. It’s better to be drunk and funny than sober and stupid.
German: Liawa bsuffa und lusdig, ois nichdan und bläd
This is a Bavarian saying that can be quite useful to keep in mind if you ever find yourself as a reveler at Oktoberfest.
5. Getting half drunk is a waste of money
German: Halb besoffen, ist rausgeschmissenes Geld
This expression captures the affinity Germans have for beer pretty perfectly.
6. Drink a beer in the morning and the day is yours
German: Am Morgen ein Bier und der Tag gehört dir
While it may be a little surprising for Americans, drinking a beer in the AM is a pretty normal occurrence in German culture.
Do you have a beer-related expression or saying that you like? Email us or DM us on Instagram!
