German Alcohol Culture

When people typically think of Germany and its drinking habits, thoughts typically go to pictures of Oktoberfest and lots of beer all the time. However, this has not always been what the culture of drinking was like in Germany. There have been many different periods in which the perceptions of alcohol have varied. In the 1840s there was a large push against the consumption of spirits by the clergy, “He was convinced that poverty, criminality, godlessness, and immorality were all dramatically on the rise, the cause being an “artificial poison” “ (Spode, p. 2). This resistance was so forceful that millions took a pledge to never again drink spirits. Even while this was the case, wine and beer were still permitted. 

Another time in which there was a large opposition to alcohol was during the Second World War, “During the war, it is likely that some alcoholics fell victim to the euthanasia program, while others were assigned to “punishment battalions” on suicidal missions at the front line. The total number of victims of Nazi alcohol policies is not known” (Spode, p. 5). It is this side of German alcohol culture that is largely unknown by people. Drinking was not always something of little thought and consequence. Again, this is only one of many fluctuations in the way alcohol was approached; another shift was on the horizon. 

After the war ended, the consumption of alcohol per capita tripled (Spode, 2003). In the postwar era, there was less political intervention and they were more focused on issues caused from new drugs. “Today, Germany is among the 4 lowest countries in the EU when it comes to the scope of alcohol policies” (Simpura & Karlsson, p. 98). It was at this time when temperance organizations dissipated and alcohol consumption spiked. Here is when the traditional view of alcohol consumption in Germany reemerged, “In the many “niches” of GDR society, an excessive drinking culture blossomed; in the family, circle of friends, workplace, or weekend cottage” (Spode, p. 7). This is what most people think about German drinking culture, but as the history has been described here, that was not always the case. 

Present-day drinking culture remains consistent with what was reintroduced in the postwar era. It is found that only five to six percent of the adult population in Germany are categorized as absolute non-drinkers (Simpura & Karlsson, 2001). A majority of the population falls into the category of openly consuming. Depending on the region of Germany, the patterns of consumption vary, “In the south and the southwest, moderate daily consumption at mealtimes and in the evening remains the rule: a half or whole “measure” of beer…, or one or two Schopenhauer of wine…In other regions and in the big cities, alcohol consumption is tied more strongly to social occasions or the weekend; alcohol is consumed less frequently, but in greater quantities on those occasions” (Spode, p. 7). Drinking is done most often at home with the family, but public drinking is still a common practice within certain timeframes and location parameters. It is during special occasions where public drunkenness is expected. The culture of consumption in Germany is one that has been developed and shifted overtime before it arrived at the present. 

Sources

Simpura, J., & Karlsson, T., (2001). Trends in drinking patterns in fifteen European countries, 1950-2000. A collection of country reports.

Spode, H. (2003). Germany. In J. S. Blocker, D. M. Fahey, & I. R. Tyrrell (Eds.), Alcohol and temperance in modern history: an international encyclopedia. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC- CLIO.