Why do Germans like their drinks warm, with no ice?

Question

years ago, we were in Germany. Going out to eat, our drinks, (sodas, juices, and such) were warm. When I asked for ice, they had none. Also, when we had German visitors in or home, and offered them Pepsi from our refrigerator, they set the can in the sunlight to warm up. I know they have small refrigerators, but, I don't understand why they like warm drinks. Even their beer must be warm for them.

Answer 1

omg. my brother's girlfriend is from Germany and she ALWAYS leave the brita water out. i always found it outside in the kitchen or in my brother's room.. i asked her one day. why do you leave the water out? and she said. it tastes better warm and plus, her family is used to drink it warm

Answer 2

Think about it. Until the middle of the last century there was no such thing as a refrigerator. So as a culture they got used to drinking beverages warm. Everything is room temperature. Even though there are refrigerators today, their preferences never changed. If you really want to show your American stripes, ask for a chilled beer. That'll raise everyone's eyebrows.

Answer 3

First, some of the Germans have big refrigerators. And some do put the drinks in the fridge. And the beer has to have a certain temperatur to taste good. Even though I do drink my beer cold, but my father doesn´t. I guess it´s an old people´s thang.
By the way: I´m German.

Answer 4

That's not exactly true to my expierience. It usually suffices for my (our) taste, that such drinks are "refreshingly" cold - no need for "ice-cold". Another aspect might be dilution. During my regular visits to the US, I was confused in the beginning by their habit to fill the cups at least half-way in many cases all the way with crushed ice, before pouring coke, for example.
What is especially disturbing to our tastes here, is that tap water in the US (as basis for the ice) has a significantly higher degree of chlorine. We aren't used to that.
(This happened in fast-food chains as well as in private homes. These ice cube machines on many refrigerators also looked quite odd to me.)
What might be another reason is, that the colder you have a drink, the less you actually taste. When I have a beer, I want to refresh, not anesthetize my tongue - but having had a "Bud" once, I can imagine, you don't care :-)

Best regards

Answer 5

I think your description is a little drastic. Germans like things to drink cold, but to them cold means 40-50 degrees Fahrenheit, not ice cold. The cutlure in Germany cools things according to the tradition of storing drinks in cool cellars to retard spoilage and serving them at that temperature. In the US soft-drinks are mostly fountain-based and the syrup is adjusted to produce sufficient flavor at 50% dilution. The beer in the US is served ice-cold, because it has an awful flavor at room temperature (brewed with rice). The US culture really was converted to using ice in everything by the ice companies in the early 20th century, who were pushing for more ice consumption. As such the US is the only country in the world that is so focused on having everything ice-cold.

Answer 6

I was told that the Germans drank their beer warm,
As any European would tell you, it is because Americans are stupid. A warm beer (i.e., room temp) is unacceptable here and should be returned. Beer is supposed to be served cool (i.e., cellar temp). I was actually told by a German that icy cold (i.e., the way Americans do it) beverages are bad for the stomach.

Answer 7

I've notice the same thing too when I was in Germany. A friend of mine who lived there since she was about 15 explained to me that they prefer their drinks without ice because ice cold beverages can upset your stomach. I could find ice someplaces though, but other times they looked at me strangely- "eis" pronounced ice, is actually deutsche for ice cream!

Answer 8

It's one of those things that has stuck in their culture for 100's of years. It came from way back when, when there was no ice and no refridgeration to be had. A lot of European beers are made to be drank at room temp

Answer 9

It's their culture.....they believe that it brings out the flavor in beer and other beverages but especially beer. Beer is natural and when it's warm..it's stronger..not watered down with ice or in a cooled mug. Our Amercian culture likes it iced down......thank goodness!

Answer 10

I'm not German, but a lot of people dislike ice for the simple reason it dilutes the drink.