Craft brewers today put everything but the kitchen sink in their beers, looking for a taste that is innovative and satisfying at the same time. They would be stymied by the restrictive Reinheitsgebot law.
Believe it or not, reports CTV News, but the law is still on the books in Germany, although there are now a few exceptions. And critics of the law say its original intent has been colored, turning it into a marketing gimmick. Perhaps that may be true, but anyone drinking a real German beer can be assured that there are only three ingredients in their brew: water, malt and hops.
Of course, the decree stipulating the three ingredients was made before people knew much about yeast and the role it played in the fermentation process, so it was not considered an ingredient, but it was added at a later date, according to the German Brewers Association (DBB).
The intent of the beer purity law
Duke Wilhelm IV’s decree, known as the Reinheitsgebot, was issued in Ingolstadt, Bavaria in 1516. The law was part political and part protective to the population at that time. Beer was a principal source of nutrition, and as such, unscrupulous brewers took advantage of this, often raising prices.
Brewers also added unsavory ingredients to the brew, from herbs and spices such as rosemary and caraway to henbane, thorn apple, wood shavings, roots, and fireplace soot, reports the BBC. The decree also banned the use of wheat in beer, allowing for more bread to be made. The law soon spread across southern Germany, and in 1906 became German Imperial law.
The purity law today
While German brewers still stick to the purity law, it doesn’t mean other beers aren’t sold in Germany. A 1987 lawsuit brought to the European Court of Justice resulted in beers not made according to the Reinheitsgebot being offered for sale in the country.
In a Digital Journal article published in January, it was pointed out that per capita consumption of beer has dropped off to 107 liters (226 pints) a year from 150 liters in the 1970s. But German beer is still king. Many people argue the purity law is essential to the success of German beer, and according to a survey conducted for the national federation, 85 percent of Germans feel the same way.
