The German Beer Purity Law: Reinheitsgebot Explained
Germany is known to have some of the finest beer in the world thanks to the nation’s beer purity law, but what exactly is it? Find out now!
Having lived in Germany for some time, I’d noticed that most of the beer is somewhat similar and that there was no craft beer scene like I’m used to in the United States. Turns out, there is a very well-established reason for this; Germany’s Beer Purity Law.
What Is The German Beer Purity Law?
The German Beer Purity Law (or Order), locally known as the Reinheitsgebot, is a series of regulations in Germany restricting what ingredients can be included in beer. Originally starting in 1487 in one Duchy of Bavaria-Munich, the law was expanded to the rest of Bavaria in 1516.
As a condition of German unification in 1871, Bavaria insisted that the Beer Purity Law be implemented in the rest of Germany, and in 1906, the law was officially applied nationwide.
Over this period, various enforcement methods have been used to implement the law, including penalties, taxing other potential ingredients to discourage their use in beermaking, and various legal conflicts. In modern-day Germany, imported beers are now permitted to include more than what the purity law allows, as well as a few types of beers that have been “grandfathered” due to their historical significance.
What Ingredients Are Permitted?
The original Reinheitsgebot allowed for the use of only barley, hops, and water. While not originally included, yeast was later added to the list of ingredients of the beer purity law, as even before its addition, yeast was considered essential and required in the brewing of beer.
Why Was The Law Enacted?
Bavaria implemented the beer purity law for several different reasons, many of which have been up for high debate over the years. In 1516, the Reinheitsgebot was introduced to ensure that other grains, such as rye or wheat were available for both the populous and bakers. For hundreds of years, breadmaking has been a huge part of German culture and still is today. The law also prevented brewers from including fillers or other artificial additions to the beer that could be either dishonest or even dangerous to a person’s health.
Is The Purity Law Still Around?
The Reinheitsgebot is still around today, though with some exceptions. German breweries are allowed to use a set of additional ingredients, like wheat, in some of the types of beer they brew. Imported beer, however, has no such restriction on ingredients outside of the general laws of the country regarding ingredients not suitable for human consumption like in any other food.
Does The Law Make German Beer Boring?
Despite what you might think is limiting about having only 4 ingredients to use to craft beer, Germans have turned the once limiting purity order into a world-famous beer culture. Though limited, all the allowed ingredients according to the Reinheitsgebot have many different varieties, tastes, brew times, and more.
Think about it; roses come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, and colors. People even have competitions based on their shape, size, and overall beauty when grown. The same thing happens with beer in Germany, after all, barley, hops, and yeast are plants too; even water from different places can add a different taste.
What Do Breweries Think?
While many breweries in Germany are happy to abide by the Reinheitsgebot and experiment with the allotted ingredients, some brewers disagree with its continued implementation. Though the law has given German beer a highly regarded reputation and astounding marketing potential for export, some brewers have stated that the modern impact is limiting their business ventures.
As other countries like the United States have seen an influx of craft beers using a wide variety of ingredients, Germany has remained mostly unchanged. A large number of breweries have stated that brewing beer is an art, and the purity law has, in a way, censored what they can create, while others enjoy the challenge of making their beer stand out.
What About Radlers and Cola-Beers?
If you’ve been to Germany before, you may be curious about different beverages in the supermarkets. Visiting any Aldi, Globus, Edeka, CAP, or other store, people will find drinks like Radlers, which include sugar or other ingredients, beers with vodka, tequila, or other liquor included in them, or even beer that has soda added in.
After scratching my own head on the topic, I’d finally learned how this was allowed according to the beer purity law. Most beers in Germany will have an alcohol by volume (ABV) of somewhere between 4-7%. In the previously mentioned beverages (except those mixed with other types of alcohol), the brand will mix 50/50 Reinheitsgebot-compliant beer, with soda, lemonade, or other drinks, and the ABV will usually be around 2-3% instead.
Since the beer used in mixing was brewed according to the Reinheitsgebot, there is no issue. I can’t say personally that I am a big fan of mixing cola and beer is my favorite, but a cold Radler on a hot summer day is quite refreshing.
Do Other Places Use The Reinheitsgebot?
The beer purity law has made Germany’s beer quite famous, and other breweries have strived to copy this style of beermaking in their home country. The United States has many breweries that make some (usually not all of their selection) “German-style” beers, many of which follow the Reinheitsgebot, and occasionally using the law as branding on their bottles.
In fact, in 1985, Samuel Adams, from the Boston Brewing Company, became the first American beer to be sold in Germany after becoming compliant with the purity law.
Bonus: Oktoberfest Beer
I’m sure that at some time or another, you have heard about Oktoberfest at one point or another. Well, beers that want to claim to be officially called an Oktoberfest beer have even more requirements. The beer must be strictly compliant with the Reinheitsgebot, with no exceptions as well as brewed within the city limits of Munich.
Known as the “big six”, the following breweries provide compliant beer and activity tents for Oktoberfest; you should check them out if you have the opportunity:
- Augustiner
- Hacker-Pschorr
- Hofbräu
- Löwenbräu
- Paulaner
- Spaten
If you’re visiting for the festivities, make sure to check out some other Things To Do In Munich while you’re there!
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