The first Oktoberfest took place in Munich in 1810 as part of the celebration surrounding the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig I of Bavaria to Princess Therese of Sachsen-Hildburghausen. The initial celebration did not feature beer, and began as "a folkfest with horse racing on the Theresienwiese, a meadow named after the bride"(Dornbusch 49).
The event was so successful that it began to be held annually, and four years later "the festivities already featured an array of beer shacks dispensing brew in half-liter tin-lidded steins"(Dornbusch 49).
Beer in Germany is rarely ordered by brand; instead it is ordered by style: pils, alt, kölsch, weizen, helles, or dunkel.
Since brewing developed into different styles in various parts of Germany, this became the easiest way to identify a type of beer.
Despite its rich history in German culture, there is some evidence that beer brewing and consumption is in decline, particularly among young people. "According to German federal statistics released in late January, German brewing has dropped to less than 100 million hectoliters of production for the first time since reunification in 1990" (Benedetti).
While this has been blamed on a smaller population of young adults, and on the ability is different types of alcoholic beverages such as energy and alcohol mixtures, some critics also blame the Reinheitsegebot. While the Reinheitsegebot brought many advantages to German beer, particularly in terms of quality, it made experimentation nearly impossible. "...Many modern German brewers shun experimentation of any kind outside of increased mechanical automation. There are only about 20 common styles used for brewing in Germany whereas craft brewers in the United States are working ably in at least 100" (Benedetti).
With an international market now in play, it remains to be seen if the market for German beer will continue to decline or evolve to fit the changing market. Several German breweries, such as Wernecker Bierbrauerei and Gasthaus-BrauereiBraustelle have started pushing the boundaries of traditional German brewing and are optimist for the future, but it remains to be seen how this will change the overall landscape of German beer.