For more than 500 years, German brewing has existed in accordance with the beer cleanliness law. Using the ingredients prescribed in this law, German brewers have created a variety that is unparalleled in the world. Today in Germany there are more than 5,000 different types of beer.
German beer: facts and figures
According to statistics, in 2016 in Germany, 104 liters of beer were consumed per person. In European comparison, the only country that consumes more is the Czech Republic. By maintaining tradition, the number of breweries in Germany is growing. This figure is much higher than all similar indicators in Europe. According to the Association of German Brewers, there are currently 1,408 breweries. It is expected that by 2020 the number of industries will reach 1,500.
Germany annually exports more than 16 500 thousand hectoliters of beer (1 650 000 000 liters). Occupying first place, she is far ahead of her rivals - Belgium and the Netherlands. The country also hosts the world's largest beer festival . In total, last year's Oktoberfest in Munich drank about 6.9 million liters of foamy drink, of which 162,200 non-alcoholic.
The art of brewing in accordance with the law
The Bavarian Beer Clean Act, also known as the Reinheitsgebot and the Bavarian Beer Ingredients Act, was passed in 1516. According to him, only beer made from ingredients - barley (rather than malt), hops and water (yeast was discovered 300 years later) was labeled “clean” and suitable for drinking. A law was also passed to increase the amount of wheat. The population did not have enough food, and the nobility used this cereal to make beer. By this law, William IV abolished this privilege.
Beer purity law is used today even in marketing. Gebraut nach dem Reinheitsgebot or the 500 Jahre Münchner Reinheitsgebot proudly write this on bottle labels and in advertisements. However, this is not entirely correct, because, according to the law, only barley can be used in the manufacture, not wheat or other cereals. In addition, the second part of the decree sets the selling price of beer, and it clearly does not correspond to the one set today.
From the history of beer decrees
Reinheitsgebot was adopted on April 23, 1516 at the Ingolstadt Landstanddetag. The meeting brought together representatives of the nobility, church prelates, delegates from the city and markets.
Progress in the creation of decrees was made long before the Bavarian law on the purity of beer. The city of Augsburg was published in 1156, in Nuremberg in 1293, in Munich in 1363, and in Regensburg in 1447. Regional laws on production and prices continued to appear in the second half of the 15th and 16th centuries. Water, malt and hops as the only ingredients for making beer were indicated by Duke Albrecht IV in a decree of Munich on November 30, 1487.
Another predecessor of the Beer Cleanliness Act of 1516 was a 1493 decree of Lower Bavaria written by the Duke of George Bavaria, which also limited the ingredients. It contains very detailed paragraphs indicating the selling price of beer.
Consumer protection
In the Middle Ages, various ingredients and spices were added to beer, and the alcoholic beverage itself was considered a food product. Some of the additives, such as belladonna or fly agaric, have been added to influence the taste of the beer or enhance its intoxicating effect. By 1486, an indication appeared in one of the laws that ingredients that could be harmful to humans should not be used. The desire for a high level of quality at that time was already combined with the idea of protecting consumers.
The main reason for passing the law was the poor quality of beer. Until 1516, strict rules in the northern guilds of the brewers allowed them to surpass the rest, but Reinheitsgebot changed this. The Bavarians quickly improved the quality of their products, and according to some, they even surpassed the northern guilds. The noticeable improvement in beer that came after the decree came into force convinced many of its taste value, and the law on cleanliness continued to be respected even after several centuries.
Part of German culture
The modern version of the German beer purity law is seen as a key development point, although it is not the first attempt. Over the centuries, the world famous brewing art has been created. Today, more than 1300 German factories use only four natural ingredients to create more than 40 different types of beer (Alt, Pils, Kölsch, etc.) and about 5000 individual brands such as Veltins, Krombacher and Bitburger. No country in the world can be compared with Germany in the variety and choice of foam product. The presidents of the German and Bavarian Brewers Federation are sure that it is Reinheitsgebot that is the reason for the good reputation of German beer.
Modern brewing
In Germany, brewing is limited to four ingredients, but there is a huge variety of cooking possibilities. Currently, brewers can rely on about 250 varieties of hops, 40 types of malt and 200 different brewing yeast, which are used in the cooking process. Various brewing methods play an equally important role.
However, many brewers want a reorganization of the law. This would allow the use of natural ingredients in addition to those already enshrined in the beer purity law in Germany. Raw materials that will be approved for brewing must be strictly controlled in any case. Today, the use of raw fruits in Germany is still excluded from production, but additives are allowed. However, beer produced in this way can no longer be advertised as being created in accordance with the Clean Act.