hi maybe this is not the right place but has anyone seen this program on channel 4 at the 8th november 00:10? it was really interesting to see how an english tv team tries to dram a positive picture of germany.

has anyone by any chance recorded it?

i saw it – and it was a really excellent program – very well thought out and made a lot of sense.

ever since i started going to Germany on business trips, i saw everything that program maker saw and i have always enjoyed my times in Germany. I really hate going back to the UK , i really do!

forgot to add – the program covered the usual stereotypes -yes, the Germans follow the rules. BUT ,the program maker pointed out that without rules, you have no law – and he pointed out how the crime level is so low in Germany compared to the UK. He also looked at the German education system, and how it was better than the UK system. He looked at health, and it was better. And he ended up in a German bar – and the beer was better.

I can back that up – the Wiessbier – yum yum!

I saw it, it was pretty poor.

As for German beer being better than English, it simply isn't true. British (and Belgian) beers are seen as the best in the world by experts in the field. German brewers are seen as unadventurous and woefully inadequate. They hide behind pathetic 'purity' laws that protect nobody from bad beer and only seek to make people believe something that isn't true.

Only Germans and people who haven't tried many beers believe German beer is anything special.

I disagree. You should read Michael Jackson's books on beer. Who are these so called experts then?

I think Belgian beers have the edge, but German ones are close second.

I've read Jackson's books, and even he, supposed expert as he is, gives the nod to British beers.

I can see from your name that you are a Westvleteren fan (my favourite beer also). How can you trust the opinion of a man who lists Whitbread Gold Label barley wine as one of his '500 world classics' and not Westvleteren 12 Cap??

I myself have had thousands of different beers and have travelled the world for beer. From the double IPA's of the American West coast to the low hopped British milds to Belgiam's most traditional gueuze and straight lambics, I've tried them all. Aside from the odd dopplebock and rauchbier Germany is filled with poor quality lager that hides behind useless purity laws that guarentee nothing and prevent so much. This is a very good read, into why German beer is, on the most part is bland, and just why Germans believe their beer to be world beating: http://www.xs4all.nl/~patto1ro/reinheit.htm

BTW Westvleteren 12 (and most of the trappists for that matter) could not be brewed in Germany, due to those very purity laws).

hang on a minute – i'm a brit ,and i can honestly say that i get absolutely NO hangover from a night on German beer in Munich. Whereas , if i have a night out in London, i have an huge hangover the next day.

That's my own personal experience – German beer rules. And the purity laws are great – they make sure that there are no chemicals in the beer – unlike British stuff, which is full of it.

Belgian beer though IS the best in the world.

In the same breath as saying Belgian beer is the best in the world, you say you love Germany beers because of the purity laws?

Are you aware that a good 80% of Belgian beers are not, and could not be brewed to the German purity laws? Strong Belgians use candi sugar, others use wheat starch, corn, many use fruit. Are Belgian beers full of chemicals?

In contrast you say that British beers are inpure? The vast majority of British beers would compy with the German purity laws. To suggest that chemicals are used to British brewing is also stupid. Why would you use chemicals? There is absolutely no reason to, do you think a brewer would just use it because they could? If so, then why don't German brewers? There is nothing in the Reinheitsgebot to stop it.

I suspect had you tried more beers, you would no longer take the view.

On that note I would like to add one thing:

FORMALDEHYDE

UK beers in general are infamous for using copious amounts of formaldehyde as a preservative, hence the horrible hangover the morning after. German beers might not be as adventurous, but I will say this: A good beer should not need to be adventurous to prove something. A truely good beer has nothing to prove---if it's done properly it should not need excess ingredients, flavorings, and preservatives to have a sexy full bodied result. If you think you know beer as well as you say, but still find yourself insulting german beer in comparison to Brit beer, then you are sadly mistaken my dear fellow. I think perhaps you should re-think your position.

Hello,

Forget Munich! This beer is bad!

Come to Frankonia!

BAMBERG is the Beer Capitol in the World!

Watch this LInk!

www.bamberg.info/www_tks/
bamberg_eng_home_268_89_7_f.htm

British Beer better than German – that's a laugh.
I've never tasted a British beer I'd rank in the top 10. So somebody please name a great British Beer that's available in the US so I can compare it to the Czech, German, Austrailian & US microbrews I drink. As for Belgian Beer – it tends to be overhyped, overpriced and too strong to drink very much of.