Munich boasts the largest concentration of beer gardens in Germany. The biggest is Hirschgarten beer garden, which seats 8,000 people. Traditionally, guests bring their own food and only order beer, a practice that has been maintained over many years. But snacks like pretzels and cheese can be purchased, too.

In 1812, Bavaria's King Maximilian I ruled that beer gardens could be set up in Munich for the first time. The beer garden near Munich central station is considered the oldest. Here, over 100 chestnut trees provide a cozy atmophere and ample shade. Beer is served from wooden kegs right in front of the guests. A bell rings when ever a fresh keg is tapped.

One of Bavaria's most famous beer gardens is located in Munich's English Garden beside the Chinese Tower, with space for some 7,000 guests. This makes it the second-largest beer garden in the city. It is popular with tourists and locals alike.

Bavarians take their beer gardens very seriously. In 1995, residents living near the Waldwirtschaft tavern just south of Munich, which boasts a large beer garden, demanded earlier closing times. That upset Bavaria's then Prime Minister Edmund Stoiber so much that a law was changed to ensure that beer lovers can enjoy their brew until 11:00 pm.

When in Munich, many tourists make a point of traveling to Andechs monastery to sample its famous beer. Legend has it the special brew is sourced from the depths of the "holy mountain" on which the monastery is situated. The Benedictine monks run the brewery to this day.

Weltenburg Abbey, an hour's drive north of Munich, has been making beer for hundreds of years. The beer is brewed in its cellar and served to guests relaxing in the courtyard above. It's well worth visiting this picturesque and storied complex right beside the Danube river.

At 2,962 meters (9,718 feet) above sea level, Zugspitze is Germany's tallest mountain. It also features a one-of-a-kind high-altitude beer garden. Whether you master the challenge and hike up, or opt for the cable car instead, refreshing beers and stunning views await at the top.

Not far from Bamberg's old town you'll find the Spezial Keller, or special cellar, offering a wonderful view of Bamberg Cathedral and Michaelsberg Monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Local specialties include delicious smoked beer and roast pork shoulder.

Berlin's very first beer garden opened in 1837. Located in what is today the Prenzlauerberg district, the beer garden offers an urban flair, seating for some 600 guests and ample shade thanks to tall chestnut trees.

Germany is a beer country — and that's a fact. Using only four ingredients as per the 1516 German Beer Purity Law (water, hops, barley, yeast), German brewers have managed to create over 5,500 brands of beer. And that number is growing — a new beer is released on the market every week. But Germany manages quantity as well as quality: No other European country produces more beer.

When it comes to drinking alcohol, whether at an office party, during intermission at the theater, or just relaxing — as pictured here in Berlin's Görlitzer Park — beer is always an appropriate choice in Germany, as it can be consumed legally in public.

Funfair stalls, brass bands and "Schlager" music are the ingredients of a traditional German festival, which can be a challenge to get through unless you consume plenty of beer! For such occasions, regional breweries often create a festival beer. The best known of these is probably the Oktoberfest beer, which is made especially for the festival in Munich and served in one-liter Bavarian beer mugs.

Football is also a celebration, and beer goes with football the way mustard goes with a bratwurst sausage. It helps fans celebrate and consoles them if their team loses. At any stadium, the link between football teams and breweries is obvious: Beer advertising features on the players' shirts and banners. And in many Bundesliga football arenas the beer brand sponsoring the team is also served.

In the Ruhr area it's known as a Trinkhalle, in Mainz it is called a Büdchen and in Berlin it goes by the name of Späti. These neighborhood kiosks sell newspapers, tobacco, sweets and usually beer. What began more than 150 years ago as a place to sell water now serves as a pit stop for big city beer drinkers.

Berlin's corner pubs, like the Willi Mangler in the Schönefeld district, are a part of German beer history. They have also become something of a cult. The combination of stuffy air, no-nonsense food and a crowd of regular bar flies is what makes them so charming. Tourists rarely venture here, but local residents often come to enjoy an after-work beer.

Beer gardens are also traditional to German beer culture. These days they can be found all over Germany, but they originated in Bavaria at the beginning of the 19th century. Back then brewers served their beer straight from the cooling cellars along the banks of the Isar River. Especially on hot days the cellar beer gardens were popular among people from Munich.

In Bavaria, where the German Beer Purity Law was adopted in 1516, beer has been an established part of life for centuries. Today, Bavaria has more than 600 breweries, more than in any other state in Germany. During the Middle Ages the breweries were firmly in the grip of the monasteries. Some of these still exist, the oldest being Weltenburg Abbey on the Danube.

Traditional breweries have now been joined by more experimental beer makers like Georg-Augustin Schmidt. His microbrewery "Braustil" in Frankfurt produces small amounts of new varieties which have powerful aromas and are usually made with regional, organic ingredients. The craft beer scene is especially strong in Hamburg and Berlin, but local craft beer can be found across Germany.

Those who are crazy about beer beyond drinking it will find more than 30 beer museums, beer hikes and beer brewing seminars in Germany. You can create your own beer at the "Grillakademie" craft beer seminar in Bochum. Participants also learn about the different varieties of beer as well as German brewing traditions and, of course, the German Beer Purity Law.

To mark German Beer Day on April 23, here's a quick guide. From left to right: the Berliner Weisse goes in a bowl-shaped glass, Kristallweizen wheat beer in a tall glass, lager is served in a beer mug, followed by a short glass for the dark Altbier, the small, narrow glass for the Cologne Kölsch brew, the rounded glass for Pils beer and finally the Bavarian half-liter beer mug.