Germany Gave Me US Culture Shock!! 

This is really a cultural thing. I, for example, don't like being asked if everything is alright, if I needed something over and over again during my meal. I prefer not to be interrupted and I'd like someone to be around to be called if I need something. Same thing in stores. I like to browse and not be asked, but if I have a question someone should be working nearby, like ordering the shelves, who I can ask. Being asked all the time, I do not perceive as being friendly or helpful, I perceive it as being obtrusive. Someone's asking me if I'm looking for something special in a store makes me feel like I have to say sorry I'm just browsing, disappointing them I'm not demanding either their help or even planning to buy something. I think I'm sharing this with a lot of fellow Germans. It's a bit like in Japan if you tip a waiter, they won't feel like you're supporting or thanking them, they'll perceive it as you being judgmental, arrogant or even giving them alms, as if their job was not good enough to go without your benevolence. Tipping a waiter in some countries is an insult, while not tipping enough in the US is also an insult.

You lived in Mainz. I'm from Mainz. Of course there's no variety of beer in this specific part of Germany, because Mainz and the whole areas around it are no beer areas at all. It's all wine area, we don't produce any beer here, but we do produce a great variety of wines. Growing up in this area it never crossed our mind to drink beer. But in other parts of Germany you will get a much bigger variety of beer.

LOL! You know, there is this one main general mindset difference between America and Europe: Quantity is not quality! Americans mix this up all the time. If the selection you have is great there is simply no need for 50000 varieties. E.g. the best coffee is available in Italy, in every corner café. Available varieties: Espresso, Cappuccino, Latte Macchiato, that's it, all of them excellent. What more would you need? A Cinnamon Dolce Latte? Or a Pumpkin Spice Latte? Yuck! A Salted Caramel Mocha? A Skinny Peppermint Mocha? Eeeww!!! Go to Starbucks or any other of the thousands of chain or individual american stores selling coffee in 60 or 70 varieties in each store, 1 or 2 of them drinkable, the rest is vomiting agent or at least requires a tylenol afterwards. QUANTITY IS NOT QUALITY! The best beer is available in Germany, in every pub and guesthouse. Bright, Dark, Wheat, Pilsner, end of story. Everything else is adulterated crap, not beer. ;)

Budweiser - America's successful attempt to dilute water

strange. every time I'm in the US or canada, I think that you have no real choices in the stores... yes dozens of different branded and packed things, but inside mostly the same stuff, especially when it comes to sweets, bread and cheese

1984 was meant as a warning, not as a manual damn it!

But we have a purity law From 1516 that say that a Beer shoud have only 3 ingredients: Hop, Barkley and Water

I can’t handle the American friendliness, I always think it’s fake and they just want a tip. Which is unfair, there are lovely people everywhere. But I just want to be left in peace. 😅

The selection of beer may not be too giant in Germany, but the quality is mostly great 👌🏻

Next time you go to an Edeka mega store in germany. They have now a huge variety of beer brands. Or go to an "Getränke Markt " .

The restaurant thing is a major difference that I think Germany gets right. Over and over I was impressed that we weren't interrupted constantly by staff, and we never felt pressure to leave and not be "table squatters". Here in the US, the server is like a main character of the dining experience. Always in your face, always interjecting (even when the table conversation is a serious one). In Germany they leave you alone, and I loved it.

"There will be a ton more cashier lanes open than there need to be" Wow... I've never experienced this. I need to shop where you shop. lol

In Germany, all cars must be shown not only at the registration but every two years an expert (Technical Inspection Association). This expert then only grants a release for another two years. This is about the safety of all road users!

You were surprised about the friendliness in the US after you lived in Mainz? Dammned. Hamburg would have felt like a Gulag for you....

When my friend and I were in Los Angeles and had dinner in a Italian restaurant, I couldn't enjoy my meal, because somebody asked us if everything is alright every second bite. We didn't want to be rude so we didn't said that we want to enjoy our meal with no interruption. But it was really annoying. In Germany the server asks you like two times. First in the middle of your meal and the second time when they are clearing the plates from the table.

huge variety becomes very small if you dont pick stuff with artificial flavors, High-fructose corn syrup or other chemicals. a lot of that variety is just crap, same with the beer

Shhhhhhh... You can start a war on beer in Germany😂.

Try to look at some cultural differnces this way: in the US (and most other englisch speeking/influenced contries) there is a culture of "taking care after". That's why the safty standards are so low and why you get so much money when winning at curt. Contrary to this there is a culture of "taking care befor". That's what is making something like TTIP so difficult. There is also a culture of "this mony I intend to earn is already mine" in the US. Put this together with "taking care after" you have an explanation for a lot of things in the US.

The choice of beer and its less variety in Germany is by design, called Reinheitsgebot. Most Germans consider flavored beer with all sorts of impurity blasphemy. :)

I can relate to that. I'm German, but got my Bachelor's degree in the US. When I moved back, I felt isolated as hell. To this day I miss the small talk, positivity and openness I experienced in the US. You could say I never managed to re-integrate here. I'm seriously thinking about moving back to get my Master's.

I can think of one more reason why there is so many more vehicles in bad shape on the roads. Is it possible that a lot of people just simply don't have the means to pay for proper repairs and new cars anymore? Is it possible that all those beat-up vehicles are a sign of the current income inequality in the US? I would think that if I lived paycheck to paycheck, getting my car fixed properly might not be my first priority. Just my 2 ȼ...

A large shock for me in the US is the lack of privacy in public toilets

My experience in grocery stores was, while you can get 15 different kind of milk enriched and reduced by just anything thinkable, what you cannot get is 'just regular milk'.

After growing up in Germany on an offbase from 72 to 96 I got culture shock when I came stateside.

Yes, this is a curious irony. In the US, nuances abound in the cereal aisle but disappear in the electoral system. In Germany, it's the other way around.

all of the old and beat up cars from Germany end up (willingly or not) in Poland ; D lol

If you want non big brewery beer in germany don't go to supermarkets. There are many restaurants that sell their own beer.

When I was flying home from Indianapolis there was a older woman who needed help getting to the plane. They didn't have anyone to help her so I just volunteered. I offered her my arm and walked down the jet way with her and got her seated on the plane. Once we landed I helped her get off the plane. In the jet way at the destination they had a wheel chair, so I sat her in the wheel chair and rolled her up the jet way. The woman didn't speak a word of English but I was able to figure out where she needed to go, so I just walked along pushing this old lady in a wheel chair while she jabbered at me in a language I didn't understand. She saw the person who was waiting for her and so I took her to him. He spoke English and he told me she was very very thankful for my help. To me, I just did for her what I would hope someone would do for my mother were she in that situation. He tried to give me some money, but I explained she and I were going to the same place, so it wasn't something I had to go out of my way for. I've been trying to start a "Be kind to a random stranger" challenge going for years, but it seems people would rather eat laundry detergent or set themselves on fire. I can not for the life of me understand why people would rather do something that is incredibly painful, even deadly. I *LIKE* the feeling I get when I do something kind for someone. It feels good. Setting yourself on fire hurts... *A LOT*

Sorry to interrupt, but in German beer culture you have to divide local and „federal“ breweries...there‘s usually one or two local brands available and many bigger brands. There are several types of beer, how many did you try: Pilsener, Kölsch, Alt, Weizen (hell, dunkel, Kristall), Schwarzbier, Starkbier (Pilsener and Weizen), Bockbier? I think you cannot compare a well-regulated product as German beer to a very liberal market. Next time try a local beer wherever you go, that‘s an universal advice :-)

....ich mein der tüv ist nervig und kann teuer werden, aber GAR KEINE regeln/richtlinien in amerika?? nope, danke, da werd ich NIE auto fahren wollen xD

Im German. It's true that beer in Germany doesn't have too much Variety due to the Reinheitsgebot. But many small breweries start up producing outside of it. Many People start producing privately. And People drink more alcohol free or other sorts of "non normal" beer. This has changed a lot in the last few years. I have heard if you go to Belgium or the Czech Republic you'll find more Variety there.

Upper Franconia has 167 breweries, that is one brewery per 6200 inhabitants. China only has a higher density.

"the wide US selection of craft beers"... which is basically all IPAs, Stouts and a few others - mostly made out of industrial hops products

Hey Kelly, just one thing about the beer... In Berlin alone, you got over 2000 registered brewerys...

Reverse culture shock is very real. As an expat brat growing up in Saudi Arabia, I would experience reverse culture shock during my regular visits to the US, as well as when I finally moved "permanently" to the US. Now, your first point, I've had a decent amount of people offer assistance or did things for me when in other countries. Not so much in Europe, but certainly in the Middle East and Asia. Sure, most of them were doing it for tips, but not all of them. In a recent experience, when I was in Amman, Jordan, one of the airport staff simply offered to carry one of my bags. He asked me where I was going, and and led me the quickest path to my check in stand. He wanted no tips, no gratuity, and was please by my simple thanks.

I experienced several times doing business in the US. It is really a tough experience for a German. But I always appreciated the result focused working style and what made my business trip worth the effort every time was the mentioned openness and kindness of the US Americans. Another business trip to the US? Count me in any time!

Please get the facts right. As of 2018, there were already 1539 breweries in Germany, and there are probably even more now.

As a norwegian, I was very pleased with the beer when going on a vacation in Germany (Bavaria), because here in my country I have to really search for the beer I like - dark/red (dunkel) beer. I don't mean the stout type but the dark type where you can't see through the glass. Here in Norway 99% of all beer is pilsner or alcohol free. I call it dishwater with a slight beer taste. I refuse to drink beer I can see through. LOL! We can't even get dark beer in most restaurants here. They simply don't stock it because nobody ask for it. So I loved the german/bavarian dark beer, and the glass sizes too! Two litres of beer in one glass is relaxing, since you don't have to ask the waiter for more or stand in line at the counter to get a refill all the time. In Norway, you get the standard 0,33L glass size, or the smaller glasses (which women often order). Oh, I almost forgot - searching for dark beer in norwegian shops is almost impossible because most bottles are dark glass so you can't see if the content is dark or not. So I tend to go to the liquer monopoly shops (yes, we have those) where they have imported dark beer, and often separated from the pilsner types in the shelves, hence easier to find.

About the beer: Here in Germany, we also have craft breweries. I love going to breweries like the one in my town, such breweries usually offer awesome burgers etc and awesome craft beer.

I live in Paderborn germany now, but last year I was in Poland and i can personally attest to the reverse culture shock. It took me a good few weeks to adjust back to the US

In German we say "Komm auf den Punkt!“ 😂

Hi Kelly, I would like to address your statement on the german beer variety. We also have small craft breweries but unfortunately you won't find their beers in grocery stors, instead you have to either order them direct from the brewery or you will find them in special beer/drink stores. And here are some recommendations you should give a try: www.wacken.beer/shop/Bier:::1.html hopfenstopfer.brauerei-haeffner.de/shop/ www.stoertebeker.com/de_de/online-shop/brauspezialitaten.html Greetings from Germany

7:45 In Belgium, you have 378 breweries (1 for 30.500 residents) together with 266 beer firms (a company developing a recipe for beer that is brewed in a real brewery and than commercialised by the beer firm): together 644 or 1 for 18.000 residents. They are responsible for at least 1.600 beerbrands in more than 800 different beerstyles with several thousands of beers.

It depends where you live in Germany. I live in Oberfranken. We are about 1.1 million inhabitants and have 202 breweries, which makes one for 5.500 people. You don't see those beers in grocery stores because there are only sold in a small region. Sometimes you only get the beer in the nearby restaurant "Brauereigaststätte". And it seems there is one of those in every other village and town.

If you don't like too much "customer service", come to Cleveland. You can wait in line to your heart's delight.

About German beer: Reinheitsgebot. There was a law that stated that beer had to have 4 ingredients or it wouldn't be beer. This law existed waaaay before its most famous example in 1516 in Bavaria. But! What's important is that some variations of the "purity law" is that it still exists today. There are different laws in different provinces but if you don't adhere to them you lose a very valuable marketing tool. I'm not even sure one can market their beer as beer even. The downside is less variety, the upside is that the beer tends to be consistently good. The things with classic American beer is that it's coloured, alcoholic, carbonated, water that you need half a gallon to feel anything and normal German beer tends to have a depth of flavour, no need for expensive micro breweries. Also, half a gallon will get you shit faced, if you drink it like American beer.

I found that foreigners were more friendly in Germany. Over the years. I had car problems an everytime I was helped with or without kids it was always by men from other countries. This was before cell phones. My favorite memory was what I think was a father an son that didn't speak German or English. I had a flat and they were going to change my tire. My donut was low on air. The younger man left with my donut an left his father with me an went an put air in the donut an came back an changed my tire. It made it to my friends house til it went flat again. LOL.

Wondering if reversed Culture shock is worse when you move between two relatively similar cultures, compared to two very different cultures. I had almost no issues moving back to NL from HK. But between NL and PL it feels more intense. Maybe it is also age related?

When I visited Germany, the wine choices were much better. Loved the wine in Germany.

With respect to cars, you would love Florida. No inspections and some of the junkers careening down the roads are terrifying. As for roads, you are 110% correct. Our roads are horrible. The one I live in has more patches then actual road. It is so bad I can barely do 20 mph without taking my life in my hands. I remember seeing roads like the one I live on in places like rural Romania just after the ousting of Nicolae Ceaușescu on 25, December 1989. I could expect that there given the economic conditions. But in the USA, one of the richest countries in the world? That is just criminal. The other issue is trucks. It is like a Stephen King movie out there with all these trucks. And now they are so big that within a couple years, they ruin a freshly paved road. And don't get me going on how Americans follow the rules of the road. We drive to the right yet in Florida, people taking a left hand turn seem to think they have the right of way. Uh, this is not London England (Not to be confused with London, in Ontario Canada) where you drive left. USA is a good example of a country that has not kept it's infrastructure up and is now paying the price.

Regarding staffing at restaurants, grocery stores, etc.- you conclude that there's redundancy. But unless you are familiar with the "back-of-the-house" viewpoint, how do you know that it's redundant? Perhaps it is most efficient to have one person greet you and seat you, another person take your drink order, another person to take your meal order, and another person to deliver the food. I don't think that the point-of-view of the customer gives you enough information to tell you whether it's redundant or not.

I'm British. I saw exactly the same thing in Mexico. I went to a bar with a girl who manages a pub in England. She said that the Mexican bar was overstaffed. I replied that it was great that you get served within seconds and that the service was excellent.

So called american 'friendliness' would rather bother me - being asked twenty times if I'm fine, or so. Same thing with overwhelming variety of anything. Looks sexy in the beginning, but I personally hate grocery shopping, so choosing between 100 different cereals doesn't make it more enjoyable. And having more beer brands than one can imagine, should be attractive to teenagers in the first place. But principally food in the US in general is way too expensive. Would make more sense to have less stuff for affordable prices. The good news to me is: Americans talk about politics now - finally. Hopefully they'll learn their lesson till 2020.

Just on talking on the phone: ,while driving a car: pls focus on your driving, everyone! I'm a truck driver as well as a motorclyce rider. Pls: don't put other people in danger. I've lost my wife by a reckless driver. A 62 years old female! (It's not always males. ) Please take pride in your own driving or riding skills. I always tried to do that. Ever, since I hit the road in 1979. And lost my wife to an idiot!

The variations of beer in Germany is spread out over small cities and regions, there are or only several brands that are sold nationwide (Becks, Radeberger etc), hence in supermarkets you have always the well known beers plus a few locally brewed ones. It makes sense that the US has more breweries since you have a bigger varity of brands in general and the market is so different.

Yeah because our beer is the best and we do not need more flavors / variety because everyone likes to drink the same beer. Oh and we Bavarian absolutely hate fruit flavored beer

Your chain restaurant story sounds like The Cheesecake Factory.

I'd rather choose from 20 excellent German beers than from 100 beers from the USA, that don't even deserve the name beer. Quantity is not quality. And in the Edeka where I buy beer, I'm regularly overwhelmed by the too large selection of beers. Don't know where you were shopping.

I live in Cologne and there are many types of regional beer here. Our beer is called Kölsch and there are many types of kölsch or, to be precise, 25 types of kölsch. The three largest Kölsch brands are Reissdorf Kölsch, gaffel Kölsch and Früh kölsch. But there is also beer from other parts of Germany and countries. Between 5,000 and 6,000 beers are brewed in Germany. We estimate the variety of brands worldwide to be between 10,000 and 15,000 beers. This German variety of brands is (still) unique in the world, even if countries like the USA and Italy have caught up tremendously in the past 10 years. The southern states of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg are absolute leaders in local beer brands.But every country has its own unique beers

The multiple people you saw stocking shelves at the grocery store were not all grocery store employees, many of them work for the vendor

Difference between the US and Germany: You can't put every ingredient in your beer in Germany and call it "Beer" then. It's called Reinheitsgebot. And I am proud of that.

I imagine the culture shock with _Turkey_ much have been _much_ more significant.

For the beer variety you should have gone to Hoffmanns' Getränke. But seriously, why do you need much beers to choose, if you have Grevensteiner, Allgäuer Bübblebier or Kloster Scheyern ?

About the differences in customer service: The reason why US stores and restaurants (can) offer so much customer service is that the staff in those places is severely underpaid. In Germany there is a legal minimum wage for waiters as well as retail store employees (it has to be high enough for the employee to afford rent + living expenses with that one full time job). In the US that's not the case, which is why most US stores and restaurants pay their employees a lot less than minimum living wages (which btw. is the reason why tipping is so much more important in the US than elsewhere). As a result US stores and restaurants can afford to employ a lot more staff while German stores and restaurants have to keep employee numbers to the bare minimum, in order to remain able to compete on the market and to still make any profits. Both situations aren't perfect, because... in a way they both exploit the staff; in the US because the employees are underpaid in regards to the time they put in and need additional incomes to survive, in Germany because the employees are required to basically do the work of two or three employees at once (and often end up physically and/or mentally ill as a result), because their workplaces are chronically underemployed. About the beer: Of course there is very, very little variety of beers to buy at a grocery store in Germany. Because Germans don't really go there to buy beer (unless they're super lazy or it's an emergency). Normally, you go to a Getränkemarkt, i.e. a specialized grocery store that sells beverages only. They have a much, much larger selection of all sorts of beverages than you would find in even the biggest grocery store... I feel really bad for you, if none of your German friends ever took you to a Getränkemarkt, because you missed out big time. Also, while the US may now have a very large variety of beer being sold, most of those types would not be considered real beer in Germany due to the "Reinheitsgebot" (purity decree) which is a law regulating what ingredients a beverage is allowed to contain to be called "beer". A lot of US beers (any stouts, any belgian style beers, fruit beers, several British beers etc.) would not pass the Reinheitsgebot. There are only a very few American breweries that brew according to it, and thus only very few American beers that would actually be counted as beer at all in Germany, because the two countries have a different definition of what beer is. But it sure is interesting to see how the American beer market has florished throughout the past decades.

We sell ur kind of 'beer' as lemonade 😂

We only stock good beer. Also we have specialized shops only for beer and other drinks. *love2hateU*

As a German, I'am not offended by any of those facts and observations. I guess the differences are rooted in different life styles, law systems, composition of the population and many other factors. I don't see a competition here. I do like to live in Mid-Europe but was alway open for offers from almost any other part of the world. Let's enjoy the differences. It makes the world such an interesting place.

Local stores only sell local beer brands.. you would have to travel to try them.. but if you dont only search in one area or city, youll find the variaty you thought of. Even if not as many as in the US. But we have a Reinheitsgebot 😋

5:30 now I understand why US need so much electric energy. Ice creams for miles, deep freezers, etc. No one seems to bother.

realy? Ofcourse america has more Breweris you know how much times Germany fits into the USA? xD also we cant just brew soemthing together and call it Beer it has strict Regulations, And to be honest if you get to the right store there is allot of vareity

The brewing tradition is really going down in germany. Everything is develpoping into less than a handful big corporations which essentially produce the same product under different labels. My hometown had between 70 and 80 different breweries in the middle of the 19th century. After WW1, there were still 28. Today, there a just a few that belong to 2 corporations. In the USA, breweries and brands are florishing. People there don't buy beer that tastes like it is "supposed to", but that tastes how they like it. That leaves much more room for developement and creativity.

I'm currently an exchange student in Austria and I hope home to my small town in the us in a few months and I imagine that I'm gonna get at least form of reverse culture shock

In Deutschland werden zwischen 5.000 und 6.000 Biere gebraut. Das war in 2012, also so kann das nicht stimmen was sie sagt xD

Germany has over 1500 breweries. Does not invalidate your statement but just to be a little bit more correct. However, I still prefer the German brewers. Diversity is a good thing but as I do not need the choice of more than a couple of ten or twenty I can live with the German way😉 And I can drink my beer everywhere I like in public places without being arrested or legally challenged .... 🍺🍻

Correction: Germany has 1500 breweries, and a lot of them are small, rural breweries, especially in Bavaria and Franconia. And the craft scene is growing as well ;) Mainz isn't really known for its beer and Munich is so big, you have to dig a little deeper to get to the really special stuff. I'm willing to bet there is a bigger variety in beer than in the US, but of course a lot of people stick to the big, mediocre breweries.

8:00 - Im Germany we have the "Reinheitsgebot" ("Beer Purity Law") for beer: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reinheitsgebot - which is unique in the world and restricts the number of varieties of beer in Germany. Just cross the border to Belgium and you'll find a variety of beers that probably outnumbers that of the U.S.: www.belgiansmaak.com/belgian-beers/

Perfect, you said we love 1984 and in the next sentences you make Advertisement for the biggest slave Machine Amazon. Sounds weird to me!

Quality is more important than quantity!!!

it kinda already gives me anxiety before I make it across the pond (damn Covid)-I hate when people get on my nerves when I am eating. I might even be very German about it and let them know that where I'm from it's considered rude to bother people by offering them things they didn't ask for :D

So you visit one of two supermarkets and say that what is available there is a representation of all of Germany. Germany has TONS of beer brands, they're just not sold everywhere and in all parts of the country. I'll choose German beer any day over US beer (and I'm not German).

When I was in England . They made me part of the community, I was in the Oxford area. When I came back to America I was an outsider looking in. On the crappy cars in America it's because the people get paid lousy wages

That´s the first time that I heared that germany has no beer varity... we´re talking bout beer. not about the chem-mix-drinks called craft

Trust me, if you were to walk into a bigger supermarket or Getränkemarkt in Franken (I live near Würzburg), you would find a significantly larger selection of beers (also many small breweries) and beer types. I never want to move away from here again.

In the U.S. there are states where you can buy beer at grocery stores and gas stations, but then there are also states (majority of states) where you cannot buy beer anywhere except at state licensed liquor outlets and bars. You also can’t even legally enter a liquor store under 21. The state you are from, Pennsylvania, is quite liberal when it comes to alchol purchases, though I heard they recently banned alcohol sales at gas stations.

People love to talk politics, they don't listen, and they don't think, but they sure do talk.

Oh, let's talk about beer! xDD 1.) Definition of beer by a German: Bud-Light is not a beer. Every light beer is not a beer. It's is water with a shot of beer. Case closed! ;)) 2.) Definition of a beer part II: Some people already mentioned the so called "Rheinheitsgebot". If you want to call your product a beer in Germany you are only allowed to use hop, malt, yeast and water. That's what the Rheinheitsgebot says. But that does not mean that there aren't flavoured beers in Germany. For example there is Schöfferhofer Grapefruit. It is a beer flavoured with grapefruit. But it is just not called a beer officially. Frankenheim blue = dark beer mixed with coke... Radler = beer mixed with lemonade. And so on... 3.) I do not get the point about comparing the numbers of breweries. Wouldn't it be better to compare the number of brands? Or even better: Comparing the number of different sorts of beer? Germany has 5000 - 6000 beer brands. Don't know how many sorts they produce... 4.) The way Germans shop beer: Most people I know do not shop beer at a grocery store. They go to a "Getränkemarkt" like the one you have been showing in the video. That's not enough variety? I mean of course they all more or less taste the same because it is beer. Remember German definition of beer: NO flavours! 5.) When you take a look on the variety in an American grocery store: Isn't that pretty much the same like here? I have no idea but I would guess that at least 50% of this huge variety is light beer, isn't it? Like at least 50% of the variety in a German Getränkemarkt is Pils... Just made by different brands... 6.) Craft beer: I have heared that small breweries that make their own craft beer are booming in the US. And this trend has already arrived in Germany. You will find more and more of such small breweries here. But they are arguing with the government because they want to call their product a beer but are not allowed to. 7.) It is common here to order special brands if you want to have them. 8.) Flavoured beers just aren't that popular here. But I agree that some of them taste really good! 9.) Pls change your law! I wanted to send a friend in the US some beer. But your postal service is not allowed to transport alcohol. But UPS & Co. are allowed to deliver alcohol. WHY??? The problem is: UPS was f***** expensive. Who pays 50+ Euros just to send five bottles of beer? You're in Washington... Do something! xDDD In the end: Maybe we can say that there is a bigger variety of flavoured beer in the US. And when it comes to the specific German definition of beer you will find the bigger variety here, I think. Of course the number of different brands in a grocery store in the US is higher than in Germany because we do not shop beer at the grocery store. Further Americans love to have the choise between 1000 products that are basically the same whereas German customers accept a smaller product range. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this topic. Another good video from you!!

The founder from Budweiser ( Eberhard Anheuser ) come from Bad Kreuznach ( 33 KM ) from Mainz. Its a German Beer brewed in America ;)

About the Beer in Germany and Austria is the "Reinheitsgebot" from the 17 century a big thing that means you can only use water, malt and hops for beer when you give a flavour to the beer it´s not more beer

By definition there can't be many types of beer in Germany, because we have the "Reinheitsgebot" that only allows a very limited number ingredients in beer such as hops, malt, yeast and water. Otherwise it is not allowed to be called beer. That may limit the number of beers in some way.

I RATHER HAVE A FEW GOOD BEERS THAN A LOT OF CRAP!!! REEEEEEEEEEE

If most americans didnt like the level of service that exists......the service industry would adapt Why wouldnt more variety in stores be a good thing???? As for the car thing......cars are nessasary in the US. As you have stated we are huge. To regulate cars to the point that they are in Germany would not only be viewed as a government overstepping its bounds but a extreme hardship for people. In germany if the car couldn't meet inspection oh well you just take public transport to your job a few miles away. Here it is not uncommon especially in rural areas where they're traveling 60 to a hundred miles each way for their commute.

In Germany most large breweries now belong to multinational companies like e.g. Heinecken and Anheuser-Busch and a few others. Tucher - Radeberger Group. Franziskaner, Löwenbräu, Spaten - Anheuser Busch. There is just one independent Oktoberfest-Brewery. Sometimes such mass-produced beer brands are called "Fernseh-Bier" because they are advertised so much in TV. Don't buy them. Quality beer in Germany is sold in certain stores, it is produced from privately owned breweries labelled "Privatbräu" that exist in a lot of parts Germany from the North to the South. Unfortunately they are less known.

Hey Kelly, German here from Mainz ;-) I can totally confirm the beer topic. I tried several craft beers last year in the US and they were all great! Yet, there's also a German craft beer scene that has blossomed over the last years but you won't find them all over the place because the typical German consumer wants always the same. The big pilsner brands that you can't - or just barely - distinguish. They aren't bad, but the variety is just not that big. Cheers!

Quantity =! Quality ;-)

The difference is, That you think you have thousands of options, but in the end you have only three or Four big Players and they own all the Brands. So That in the end you have no variaty. In Austria or germany, there are less different brands, but they stand for their own products.

So, Kelly, is it safe to assume after your proclaimed culture shock, that you prefer to live in the United States rather than Germany? What is Mischa’s preference? Maybe you can hand him the webcam to voice his opinions. Might be interesting for a follow up utube video!

US breweries: quantity German breweries: quality

The political discussions show on twitter even more and I am Swiss.

The scene at 6:10 mirrors a scene at the end from the movie "The Hurt Locker" and reflects the madness of our modern affluent society. What i mean: who needs that many salad dressing, that many brands? This is something i never understood. This might offend some people but i think it's fair to say that in Germany it goes "Quality over Quantity" when it comes down to beer. Although i can't say much about the different standards and regulations i've heard that in the US there some... "interesting" brands of beer who wouldn't probably even be allowed in Germany (i guess?)

Well, about the beer... In my state of Bavaria, you can find so many local breweries and each one of them is so good, you'd never even want to try another one. And then Czech rebublic is in car driving distance and don't even get me started on their beer... It's paradise. Now I can't judge the situation in the USA at all, but I don't need anything more than what I have here.