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Beer

Beer is one of the most popular beverages in Germany. Beer making dates back thousands of years.

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Oktoberfest 2010

It's not just another party this year as Oktoberfest turns 200 - have a look at what's going on.

Oktoberfest in numbers

Oktoberfest-goers are drinking more beer and eating less, according to official statistics.

Mugs of beer at Oktoberfest

Mugs of beer at Oktoberfest

Service information

From opening hours to prices, find everything you need to know about visiting Oktoberfest.

The legs of men in Bavarian traditional costumes, at an Oktoberfest parade

The legs of men in Bavarian traditional costumes, at an Oktoberfest parade

Not just beer

Find out what's going on this year at Oktoberfest - besides consuming large quantities of beer.

Horses and crowds through around a tent in this lithograph depiction of the first Oktoberfest

Horses and crowds through around a tent in this lithograph depiction of the first Oktoberfest

History of Oktoberfest

2010 marks the 200th anniversary of Munich's Oktoberfest, which hasn't always been a beer bash.

A man in a Bavarian hat

A man in a Bavarian hat

Oktoberfest for dummies

Take a quick peek into a guide to avoid Oktoberfest faux-pas as the beer bash kicks off.

Prague skyline

Prague skyline

Europe on a shoestring

Want to travel but you're on a tight budget? Pulse shows you can enjoy Prague cheaply.

A giant sign saying "Budweiser" at the firm's St Louis factory

A giant sign saying "Budweiser" at the firm's St Louis factory

Flat refusal

Brewing giant Anheuser Busch has been told it has no EU-wide claim on the name Budweiser.

An ice cream cone poster

An ice cream cone poster

Beat the heat

A heat wave has spurred production of ice cream, mineral water and beer to maximum capacity.

Fried Sprats in Beer Batter

This time around our recipe is courtesy of chef Pierre Binder from the restaurant Fischers Fritz in Kiel.

A model wears a creation by Austrian fashion designer Lena Hoschek as part of her Spring/Summer 2011 collection presented at the 2010 Berlin Fashion Week

A model wears a creation by Austrian fashion designer Lena Hoschek as part of her Spring/Summer 2011 collection presented at the 2010 Berlin Fashion Week

Pumps vs cleats

The Berlin Fashion Week is dealing with the FIFA World Cup the only way it can: with free beer.

Scene in Berlin

Scene in Berlin

Football for purists

The World Cup is fun for everyone, except hardcore fans. Where do they go to enjoy unspoiled soccer?

two women wearing orange dresses outside a stadium

two women wearing orange dresses outside a stadium

Fashion police

FIFA brings charges over 36 women who wore the same orange dress to a World Cup match.

Beer cans on a retail shelf

Beer cans on a retail shelf

Beer can comeback

A huge German food discounter is stocking its shelves again with beverages in one-way containers.

A advert for German beer in Brazil

A advert for German beer in Brazil

A beer story

Brewing techniques brought over by Germans are changing the way Brazilians think about beer.

Four men push a giant keg of beer at the Oktoberfest

Four men push a giant keg of beer at the Oktoberfest

Down the hatch!

German brewers say they aren't worried by last year's renewed drop in national beer consumption.

Beer being poured

Beer being poured

Drinking on Good Friday

Limerick pubs are open this Good Friday for a rugby match, a sign of changes in Catholic Ireland.

Barack Obama and Angela Merkel

Barack Obama and Angela Merkel

Good friends

A new German Embassy survey found that Americans love Germany more and more.

Three bottles of Sink the Bismark! beer

Three bottles of Sink the Bismark! beer

Drinking contest

Breweries flex their muscles as they compete to produce the world's strongest beer.

Beer mugs on a Bavarian table cloth

Beer mugs on a Bavarian table cloth

Sydney's Bavarian oasis

A German bar has found its secret recipe for drawing Australians to beer, food and fun.

The Chodovar facility.

The Chodovar facility.

Beer paradise

A brewery in the Czech-German border town of Chodova Plana draws tourists with unusual attractions

Woman drinking mulled wine

Woman drinking mulled wine

Seasonal beer

A private brewery has come up with a new scheme to stem the chronic decline in beer consumption

Russians drinking at the Kiev train station in Moscow

Russians drinking at the Kiev train station in Moscow

A 'national disaster'

Russia's president wants to curb alcoholism, which many consider a nearly impossible goal.

Illustration of a Bavarian dancing on a laptop

Illustration of a Bavarian dancing on a laptop

Bavarian style

Bavaria's motto, 'laptops and lederhosen,' sums up the state's winning combination of old and new.

Bionade founder and CEO Peter Kowalsky

Bionade founder and CEO Peter Kowalsky

Soda wars

Germany's coolest organic soda is snapped up by a major brewer as part of plans to go global.

Munich Mayor Christian Ude taps the first keg of the 176th Oktoberfest

Munich Mayor Christian Ude taps the first keg of the 176th Oktoberfest

Oktoberfest opens

With the tapping of the first keg, Munich's mayor officially opened the 176th Oktoberfest.

A woman in a traditional Bavarian dirndl holds a Masskrug

A woman in a traditional Bavarian dirndl holds a Masskrug

Topless tabu

Oktoberfest photographers are being forbidden to take pictures of drunken and topless guests.

Weihenstephan brewery buildings

Weihenstephan brewery buildings

Water, malt, hops

The world's oldest brewery, a former Bavarian monastery, has had a good thing going for centuries.

Kobe beef with shiitake, veg and tofu in beer sauce

This recipe comes to us from the highly-perched UFO restaurant in the Slovakian capital, Bratislava.

Someone pours a beer from a tap into a large glass

Someone pours a beer from a tap into a large glass

Beer not selling

New figures released this week show that German beer sales tanked to a record low this year.

A woman drinking beer at Munich's Oktoberfest

A woman drinking beer at Munich's Oktoberfest

Falling beer sales

A study shows almost all of Germany's 16 largest breweries sold less beer in the first quarter.

A woman in a dirndl holds two beer mugs

A woman in a dirndl holds two beer mugs

Beer + sausage = Germany

A national image campaign is out to refine China's perception of German culture.

A young man drinks from a beer glass

A young man drinks from a beer glass

Intoxicated youth

A new report indicates that the number of German youngsters abusing alcohol is on the rise.

Budweiser sign is seen atop one of the buildings at the Anheuser-Busch brewery in St. Louis

Budweiser sign is seen atop one of the buildings at the Anheuser-Busch brewery in St. Louis

US Brewer Loses EU-Wide Rights to Budweiser Name in Court Ruling

Even though Anheuser-Busch lost its trademark battle with the EU against a Czech rival on Wednesday, it still retains the right to market the suds under the "Budweiser" name in individual European nations.

Bavarian state governor Guenther Beckstein of the Christian Social Union, CSU, party toasts with a beer mug

Bavarian state governor Guenther Beckstein of the Christian Social Union, CSU, party toasts with a beer mug

Battle of the Booze

Austrians have knocked the Germans off second spot in the worldwide beer-drinking league tables.

Thuringian sausages, with mashed potatoes and sauerkraut

Thuringian sausages, with mashed potatoes and sauerkraut

Glorious Food

Meat and potatoes do, indeed, loom large in in the German diet. But that's not the whole story.

Man drinking a Beck's German beer

Man drinking a Beck's German beer

Drinking Less

Germans have always been proud of their beer production and consumption, but things are changing.

A person inspects bottles on a production line in the Budvar brewery

A person inspects bottles on a production line in the Budvar brewery

Anheuser-Busch Loses EU Trademark for Budweiser

The European battle of the Buds continues as a European Union court annulled an EU-wide trademark for Anheuser-Busch's Bud beer, which has been contested by Czech brewer Budejovicky Budvar.

The Oktoberfest crowd on opening day

The Oktoberfest crowd on opening day

True Friendship

A British man spent nearly 2,000 pounds for a taxi to meet his friends at Munich's Oktoberfest.

Cora Schumacher in a dirndl

Cora Schumacher in a dirndl

Skol vs. Skull

To dirndl or not to dirndl -- that is one question. But what about a dirdl decorated with skulls?

Bavarian Premier Guenther Beckstein holding a one-liter mug of beer

Bavarian Premier Guenther Beckstein holding a one-liter mug of beer

One Too Many?

Bavaria's premier was hammered for saying it's OK to drive after drinking two liters of beer.

A woman in a dirndl holding up beer mugs

A woman in a dirndl holding up beer mugs

Oktoberfest Turns 175!

The world's largest beer fest opened to an expected 6 million visitors today.

Budweiser beer sign above Anheuser Busch headquarters

Budweiser beer sign above Anheuser Busch headquarters

Brewing Giant InBev Boosts Profit, Despite Market Pressure

Brewing giant InBev beat analysts' second-quarter earnings forecasts, despite rising costs for energy and raw materials.

People at Munich's Oktoberfest toast one another with large glasses of beer.

People at Munich's Oktoberfest toast one another with large glasses of beer.

World's Largest Brewer

Will the Anheuser-Busch-InBev merger have an effect on the powerful German beer market?

Bottles of beer being sorted on an assembly line

Bottles of beer being sorted on an assembly line

German Brewers Hoping for Another Summer Fairy Tale

Facing a drinking decline, German brewers are hoping the EU champsionship will help them score.

A man drinks a Becks beer

A man drinks a Becks beer

Joggi's Ground Rules

No beer, no dancing and absolutely no room service; coach Loew lays down the law.

Martin Vogl

Martin Vogl

Travel Tips

We asked readers who've traveled to Germany to share some tips about their favorite destinations.

A man covered in Germany's national colors drinks beer

A man covered in Germany's national colors drinks beer

Slipping Suds

German beer consumption is declining -- in part because the industry has ignored local specialities.

Beer glasses

Beer glasses

End of a Love Affair?

German beer consumption has fallen to a record low. Germans may be losing their taste for the drink.

Woman carries large beer glasses at Oktoberfest

Woman carries large beer glasses at Oktoberfest

Alcohol Problem

Europe's No. 1 nation of binge drinkers, alcohol's negative effects are increasing in Germany.