Tourism is often linked to ideas of escapism and release from everyday duties and obligations.
Modern societies are characterized by highly complex systems of social and cultural control, and
citizens of these societies find forms of liberation in travel (Jafari 1987). Tourism destinations act as
magnetic spaces of leisure and relaxation that can be visualized as the realm of ‘touristhood’– a
theatrical arena in which individuals adopt different masks and conduct themselves according to
expectations and norms that differ from those that rule their everyday lives. The consumption and
enjoyment of alcoholic drinks constitutes a relevant element of the scenery of touristhood. In
touristic spaces the beer product is socially transformed and constructed; tourists enact beer tourism
through drinking practices and rituals performed at the destination.
Alcohol, and in this case beer consumption, is constitutive of socio-cultural traditions in many
national cultures (such as those in Northern Europe). National and local beer cultures are however
being transformed and re-shaped in tourism destinations. This study examines the interrelation of
beer cultures, more specifically German beer culture, and tourism. It examines how beer culture,
combined with touristhood, produces extreme and novel forms of consumption transforming both
tourism practices and the world of beer
