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.

Collect your beer, and bring your own snacks: What would be unacceptable in other pubs is a tradition in Bavarian beer gardens, like the Königlicher Hirschgarten dating from 1790. Beer gardens in Germany aren't yet allowed to open because of the pandemic, so we're using the occasion of the German Beer Day to showcase ten particularly beautiful beer gardens in anticipation of their reopening.

A beer garden among metal sculptures, water features and fire installations. This open-air area in Cologne's trendy Ehrenfeld district was created by the industrial artist Odo Rumpf. Concerts, an open-air cinema, and other events take place here, even during this coronavirus summer — obviously with social distancing. Some 200 guests can enjoy a cool Kölsch beer in a quirky and cozy atmosphere.

Krefeld's Stadtwald municipal park offers recreational activities for the whole family: playgrounds, pedal boat rental, a horse racing track and a golf course are some of the attractions on offer. After all that activity why not recharge your batteries and relax in the beer garden in front of the historic Stadtwaldhaus.

The Prater is the oldest beer garden in Berlin. Beer has been served here since 1837. It is not located in one of the green outskirts of Berlin, but right in the middle of the Prenzlauer Berg district. Berliners and tourists love this quiet place in the bustle of the city where they can enjoy their after-work beer under old chestnut trees.

The Alte Meierei is in the Neuer Garten (New Garden) on the banks of the Jungfernsee lake in Potsdam. The building was commissioned by Prussian King Frederick William II in 1790, and the beer garden in the former dairy can now accommodate 200 guests. The beer is brewed on site and changes seasonally.

The location makes the Schillergarten probably the most beautiful beer garden in Dresden. The traditional house in the villa quarter Blasewitz is located directly next to the Elbe bridge "Blaues Wunder." About 850 guests can sit directly at the Elbe, and relax like Friedrich Schiller did more than 200 years ago.

A basement (Keller) with a view? It's possible — at least in Franconia. Not far from Bamberg's old town you'll find the Spezial Keller (special cellar). This beer garden impresses with a wonderful view of the Bamberg Cathedral and Michaelsberg Monastery, a World Cultural Heritage site. Local specialties are the spicy smoked beer and the "Schäuferla," crispy roasted pork shoulder.

The beer garden at the Hafenhalle (Harbor Hall) in Konstanz offers six types of freshly draught beer and hearty food from the region around Lake Constance. Between the lakeside and the historic old town, the cozy atmosphere on the wooden terrace rounds off any beautiful summer day.

Wallberg, Setzberg and the Blauberge mountains surround one of the cleanest lakes in Bavaria — the Tegernsee. Locals and newcomers meet about 50 kilometers (31 miles) south of Munich and enjoy Bavarian hospitality in the panorama beer garden at the Gut Kaltenbrunn estate.

Shoveling snow in a beer garden during the summer? Nothing unusual on the Zugspitze at an altitude of 2,962 meters (9,718 feet). Germany's highest mountain is also home to the country's highest beer garden. Whether visitors come up here by cable car or on foot, a summit cross and a pint of beer are ready to welcome them.