It`s a far cry from open container laws and trying to hide your beer in a brown paper bag. False, false, false. Germany may have a frosty time and a militaristic past, but the right to drink in public is considered as natural as the right to vote. The drinking age starts at 16, so the subway in a big city on a weekend night tends to have at least one gang of kids swinging with the train clicking and burping Beck`s. British and American tourists get used to organized tours, happily walking the streets with open bottles as soon as they learn it`s “allowed” – which may not technically be the case. The parks fill up in summer with Berliners armed with bockwurst, a personal grill and lots of wine or beer. German laws regulating the consumption and sale of alcohol focus primarily on the protection of minors. Unlike many other countries, the legislation is not intended to keep young people completely away from alcohol, but to teach them how to manage alcohol consumption appropriately. In Germany, on the other hand, walking with an open beer bottle is not only allowed, it is so ubiquitous and commonplace that there is even a German name composed for it: Wegbier (pronounced something like “vague beer”).
The paper insisted on the destruction of American ideals of freedom: “Will Berlin become New York?” the paper wrote. “Does someone who opens a beer now have to hide it in a `brown bag`?” The United States may be at the forefront of beer brewing, but much of its beer drinking culture is archaic, with laws and practices dating back to prohibition and before. This applies in particular to public consumption. America has only a handful of exemptions to widespread open container laws — the most famous being in New Orleans, on Beale Street in Memphis, and in cities like Hood River, Oregon, and Butte, Mt. Germany has strict laws governing driving motor vehicles under the influence of alcohol and other psychoactive substances. There are a number of different rules and penalties related to different blood alcohol levels. Because of the moral panic related to excessive underage drinking (a 16-year-old boy died after consuming 45 shots of tequila in a bar in early 2007),[3] some people have called for raising the drinking age. Most politicians, however, opposed this idea, instead pointing out that such use was already prohibited by the existing law, which only had to be enforced. [4] In Germany and Europe, alcohol consumption by young people is traditional and generally accepted.
[5] Groups of wasted young people who drink beer from bottles and leave empty bottles under the seat must probably be outlaws in Germany. As everyone knows, Germans are neat, efficient and clean – a disciplined Northern European population that would never tolerate public drunkenness. In many cities, it is customary to impose fines for breaking a beer in the park. And finally, Berlin is not a Third World waterhole like Juarez or Tijuana. Or casual and French, like Paris or New Orleans. Right? Wegbier has become a daily consumer culture in Germany that it is no longer done only on foot and is even common on public transport. In many cities, transporting and drinking an open bottle of beer on the U-Bahn, S-Bahn and city buses is now tolerated. According to Lang, drinking so openly in public is a phenomenon that only started about five years ago. He postulated that the development should have been done with the growing popularity of alcopops, alcohol mixed with soda to appeal to younger consumers. But they don`t stop there. Otherwise, it is generally illegal to drink beer in public almost anywhere in the United States or Canada. This means that if you`re only halfway through your Brut IPA and suddenly need to be somewhere else, simply carrying an open bottle carries the risk of a quote.
Does the cheap price of alcohol contribute to alcohol problems? Alcoholism is a major problem in Germany, says Peter Lang, head of drug prevention and abuse at the German Centre for Health Education. Should we only. Are you ignoring the (pretty solid) health data that says we shouldn`t drink until middle age? A study by RWI Essen found a link between the age of 16 and subsequent consumption of more alcohol and more crime. [6] This may be new to residents of the West German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, where the local tourist office published an article in English saying that Wegbier is “almost a fashion accessory” in Düsseldorf. In the city of Aachen, to the west, there is even a German punk band of the same name. A city guide describes Wegbier as part of the “magic” of Munich, the capital of the southern state of Bavaria. Unlike many other countries, the consumption of alcohol and especially beer in public in Germany is not only legal, but widespread. The so-called after-work beer is still a living part of German beer and work culture.
That`s why you can easily see workers coming home or taking the bus with a can or bottle of beer in hand, and no one will care. But beware: on some public trains or buses, it is forbidden to drink alcohol, so pay attention to the signs. Especially in summer, it is also common to drink a beer outside at the lake, in the park or on the beach. You don`t need to cover your bottle – just show it with pride. Violations of the restrictions will be prosecuted for vendors who sell alcohol to minors, as well as for passers-by who do not interfere with the underage consumption of alcohol. Although the restrictions are national and well known, some sellers sometimes break the law. Minors themselves can never be prosecuted for alcohol consumption by minors. Supermarkets and shops usually check the ID card of minors. The law is less rigorously enforced in many bars and restaurants, but this can vary depending on the location.
Recent data shows that 1.7 million Germans are addicted to alcohol and need treatment, while 2.7 million consume alcohol in harmful ways. As long as you don`t do what I used to do in winter out of sheer desperation: pour cheap double grain into the wiper fluid tank. It worked (no wonder here), but the car stinked like a drunken hobo after and the policeman wasn`t impressed at first. Public festivals are banned nationally on Good Friday and regionally on other public holidays such as All Saints` Day. The purchase of alcohol remains possible at these times. The government reserves the right to restrict or prohibit the sale of alcohol for a certain period of time in order to maintain public order (§ 19 GastG). [12] In Germany, it is legal to consume soft drinks such as beer and wine from the age of 16, while hard drinks such as spirits and liquors are only allowed to adults over the age of 18. So don`t be surprised if you see teenagers drinking a beer – it`s probably legal. A clearly legible notice of the restrictions of the Youth Protection Act[20] must be posted in authorized places and the bartender must ensure that alcoholic beverages cannot be sold or served to minors or visibly drunk persons. [21] Licensed restaurant operators cannot force customers to purchase a meal with a beverage or change prices if a customer does not order a meal.
Changing prices if a customer does not buy an alcoholic beverage is also against the law, and every licensee must ensure that there is at least one soft drink that is cheaper than the cheapest alcoholic beverage. [21] “If you drink especially when you`re under 18, it can cause massive damage because brain development is still ongoing during those years,” Lang said. Germany does not require a licence for the production, wholesale or retail sale of alcoholic beverages. [17] [18] These limits do not apply to newlyweds. (§ 1 JuSchG (5)) Closing times for bars and nightclubs are usually determined by state laws. Over the past decade, many states have eliminated the closing hours of licensed facilities. Most states have maintained the so-called cleaning time, which refers to the 1-2 hours (usually between 5 and 6 hours) during which licensed establishments are not allowed to serve their customers. “Per capita pure alcohol consumption in Germany has been declining for about six years and the number of deaths due to alcohol-related accidents has halved since 1995,” Barsch said. In Germany, alcohol can be purchased at grocery stores, gas stations and even newsstands.