Reinheitsgebot - not much to do with pure beer

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Though it is about beer.

If you look at the bits of antiquity uncovered by archeologists over the years, you find that beer is commonly used as a commodity in social contracts. The previously mentioned Reinheitsgebot was passed mainly as a price control for wheat and rye, insuring a consistent bread supply; and was used as a trade protection measure against Belgian and English beers being imported.

According to the article’s beer historian Maureen Ogle, the pure beer angle was taken post World War 2, when Germany’s economy was in bad shape. Exporting beer was one of their best bets, and the Reinheitsgebot was an excellent advertising ploy (“OW-AH AH-MEES MAY HAF BEEN INFURIER, BUT OW-AH BEE-AH ISS NEIN!”).

Of course, the other thing about the “purity” of the “purity ordinance” is that sticking to these four ingredients is constricting and not necessarily resultant in a better brew.

All German brewers who produce a radler would be better off sticking to the Gebot. And a lot of "adventurous" brewers elsewhere likewise.

On the other hand, there are monks in Belgium and Holland showing us that sometimes adjunct beer can be pretty decent as well.

Every German brewery that uses yeast should abstain from referring to the Reinheitsgebot

Also, I read once that it had to do with Bavaria trying to protect its own interests against the other German Landers, not against Belgium and England
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Originally posted by fiulijn
Also, I read once that it had to do with Bavaria trying to protect its own interests against the other German Landers, not against Belgium and England
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Fits. The base concept was keeping the gelt at home by using local products. And here we are again with buy local.

Originally posted by bhensonb

Originally posted by fiulijn
Also, I read once that it had to do with Bavaria trying to protect its own interests against the other German Landers, not against Belgium and England
Unsupported quote...

Fits. The base concept was keeping the gelt at home by using local products. And here we are again with buy local.

My family in Bavaria are very political in their beer choices. They tend to support co-operatively owned breweries of people they know, and are also closed-minded consumers They would never even buy Kölsch, Altbier or Leipziger Gose from a few hundred miles away.

With the dart board selection of flavoring agents craft brewers are using today, part of me wouldn’t mind those kind of regulations here in the states. :-o

Originally posted by robrules
With the dart board selection of flavoring agents craft brewers are using today, part of me wouldn’t mind those kind of regulations here in the states. :-o

No thanks.

Originally posted by kmweaver

Originally posted by robrules
With the dart board selection of flavoring agents craft brewers are using today, part of me wouldn’t mind those kind of regulations here in the states. :-o

No thanks.

Not expecting beer geeks whose mantra is the more flavor the better the beer to understand.

Originally posted by robrules

Originally posted by kmweaver

Originally posted by robrules
With the dart board selection of flavoring agents craft brewers are using today, part of me wouldn’t mind those kind of regulations here in the states. :-o

No thanks.

I’m a very fancy person with no idea who I’m talking to.

Apparently.