3 easy ways for beginners to order beer in German

When you want to order a beer in German, saying ein Bier, bitte is simply announcing that you are an absolute beginner.

Instead of saying that, use these 3 ways:

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How do you say beer in German?

The German word for beer is very similar to the English one.

We say Bier! 🍺

But that won’t help you if you want a beer and don’t know how to order it. So, I’ll explain how to do that next.

Start with ‘ich möchte…’ to order a beer in German

Ich möchte, which means I’d like, is the easiest way to say I want a beer in German.

Here are a few sentences to show you how it’s used:

- Ich möchte eine Flasche Guinness, bitte. (I’d like a bottle of Guinness, please)
- Ich möchte sechzehn Flaschen Märzen, bitte. (I’d like 16 bottles of Märzen, please)

Not hard, right?

And it gets even easier when you learn German for beginners.

You see, the sentence structure is very simple – to say I would like a beer in German, you begin with the word ich möchte, then the number, and finally the type of beer.

Ich möchte ——- (number of beers) ——- (type of beer) ——- , bitte.

‘Ich hätte gerne’ can also be used to order a beer in German

In the previous example, you have learned what to say when the waiter comes to you.

But what do you say when you walk up to the counter instead?

In that case you say ‘Ich hätte gerne’, which means I’d like...

Think of stopping by a McDonald’s and saying, I’d like a cheese burger and an ice-cold coke, then you’ll see the difference between ordering from the counter and talking to a waiter who has come to you.

- Ich hätte gerne ein Guinness, bitte. (I’d like a Guinness, please)
- Ich hätte gerne sechzehn Flaschen Märzen, bitte. (I’d like 16 bottles of Märzen, please)

And don’t worry about the German umlauts. They are really easy to pronounce.

Für mich, ein…

This phrase can be used to order beer in German when the other person you are with has ordered and now it’s your turn.

It is pretty straight forward, and it means…you guessed it – for me a….

Let’s look at the examples:

- Ich hätte gerne ein Weissbier, bitte. (I’d like a Weissbier, please)
- Für mich, ein Weissbier leicht, bitte. (For me, a Weissbier light, please)

Now let’s say you are three people at a table and the waitress is taking your orders:

Waitress: Was hätten Sie gerne zu trinken? (what would you {all} like to drink?)

Person A: Ich hätte gerne ein Kölsch. (I would like to drink a Kölsch)

Person B: Für mich bitte ein Märzen. (For me, a Märzen, please)

Waitress: Und was möchten Sie trinken? (And what will you drink?)

You: Für mich auch ein Märzen. (For me, a Märzen too)

Remember:

You should only use für mich when your friends have already ordered.

One More Way to Say I Would Like a Beer in German

Now that you’ve known the most common ways of ordering beer in German, let me show you another way we like to use:

In this other way, the word to use is darf ich…

It means ‘may I’

Darf ich bitte ein Bier haben? (May I have a beer, please?)

But remember, you have to specify which beer you want…

Darf ich bitte ein Märzen haben? (May I have a Märzen, please?)

And closely related to ‘darf ich’ is ‘kann ich’…

Kann ich bitte ein Märzen haben? (Can I have a Märzen, please?)

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How to Order Beer in German with More Useful Expressions

If you want to say “one beer, please” in German, you would say “Ein Bier, bitte.”

For two beers, it would be “Zwei Bier(e), bitte.” Adding the “e” implies two glasses of beer, while omitting it refers more to beer as an uncountable noun.

To order a large beer in German, say “Ein großes Bier, bitte” or specify the size, like “Ein Bier 0,5l.”

If you want to order a dark beer in German, you can say “Ich hätte gerne ein dunkles Bier.” This is particularly useful when ordering wheat beer, which is popular in Germany. The main types include Kristallweizen, Hefeweizen, and dunkles Hefeweizen.

What is the Best Beer in Germany?

This question is subjective, as everyone has their own taste. Some prefer their beer to be hoppy and not too strong, while others, like me, enjoy it darker and stronger but still smooth.

Personally, my favorite beer right now is Andechser Doppelbock (only on tap).

If you ever find yourself near the Andechs Monastery, make sure to visit the beer garden. It’s a beautiful destination in a lovely area of Bavaria. But be careful—after one glass of this delicious beverage, you won’t be able to drive.