Germans who do drink beer are increasingly going for the milder brews from Bavaria, rather than the bitter, herb-heavy beer of north Germany, where Becks is brewed.

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Munich and Bavaria pride themselves on their quality of beer, unashamedly calling it the best in the world.

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Tirelessly stumping from mountain meadow to beer hall, Mr Stoiber fired off figures aiming to show Bavaria is a paragon of low crime, low debt and low unemployment (6.5%, against a national rate of 10.6%), attractive to investors and holiday-makers alike.

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