Deutsches Bier und das Rheinheitsgebot Matthew R. Evans (Matthias) Basic Spoken German I 26APR2007

die Rheinheitsgebot Rheinheitsgebot’s literal translation is “purity requirement”. Introduced in 1487 but not adopted until Originally introduced to prevent brewers from using wheat and rye that could otherwise be used in baking. Limited the ingredients in beer to water, barley, and hops. Yeast was not included in the Rheinheitsgebot because it had not been discovered yet.

The Rheinheitsgebot prescribed hops as a preservative. Luckily they replaced medieval preservatives such as soot, fly agaric mushrooms (hallucinogenic toadstools), and stinging nettles. Penalties for violating any aspect resulted in the confiscation of all beer involved. Bavarians take their beer so seriously that they insisted the Rheinheitsgebot be applied across Germany as a condition for unification.

Otto von Bismarck, Minister/President of Prussia agreed to the Bavarians demands in order to unify the German speaking people. This upset some portions of the soon-to-be nation as many had their own regional varieties of beer that violated the strict guidance of the Rheinheitsgebot. Many unique German beers including Kirschbier (cherry beer) and North German Spiced Beer were lost to the Rheinheitsgebot. One of the few that survived was the typical Düsseldorf beer; Altbier. +=

In 1952 the guidelines set-forth in the Rheinheitsgebot were adopted by both the West German Biersteuergesetz (taxation law), and the vorläufiges Biergesetz or provisional beer law. In 1987 a European Court of Justice ruling led to the Rheinheitsgebot being lifted. This meant that any ingredient used in food products could also be used in beer. Hence, Germans can now enjoy terrible beer like Heineken and Corona at the local Kneipe.

Deutsche Biere Germany has a long brewing tradition and is home to more than 1350 breweries producing over 5000 unique beers. Mayerbraü, a little known brand is brewed in Oggersheim, Ludwigshafen am Rhein and started producing fine beer in Kloster Andechs is a brewery where Benedictine monks have been brewing since 1455, predating even the Rheinheitsgebot. Becks the number one German Import (in the U.S.) has been brewing since 1873.

Ale Type Beers Altbier – Typically brewed in the area around Düsseldorf, this beer is normally dark amber in color with an abundance of hop taste. Kölsch – A beer found only in the area surrounding Köln. Pale and light- bodied this beer is served in smaller glasses than I would like. Weizen – This type of beer is available mainly in two varieties; hefe- and kristall-. Hefeweizen is a cloudy pour with an underlying taste that has been described as bananas. Kristall is a clearer, light-bodied variant that doesn’t fill as fast as it’s heavier sibling. Both are brewed with wheat; and in turn violate the Rheinheitsgebot. VS.

Berliner Weisse – A sour, pale, top-fermented beer from Berlin. It is custom to drink this beer with your choice of syrup, Woodruff or Raspberry. Leipziger Göse – An amber, sour, and top-fermented beer brewed in the vicinity of Leipzig in former East Germany.

Lager Type Beers Helles – A pale, malty, typically Bavarian beer. Schwarzbier – Bottom fermented beer with a dark color and roasty, chocolaty flavor. Pilsener – Also known as Pils, this is a pale beer with slightly pronounced hop flavor. Export – Pale and light with a more pronounced malt taste than that of Pilsener.

Spezial – A pale beer with full-body and bitter-sweet slightly hoppy taste. Dunkel – A dark lager with two varieties; sweet and malty Munich style and the drier, hoppier Franconian brew. Rauchbier – Normally dark in color, this beer is made with smoked malt and is a specialty of the Bamberg area of Germany. Bock – This can refer to any number of “bock” style beers including Bock, Dunkles Bock, Eisbock, Maibock, and Doppelbock. Typically dark in color with full-body. The exception is Maibock which is a lighter colored beer which is brewed in Spring.

Oktoberfest A two week festival held every year in München, Bayern. Oktoberfest is the world‘s largest fair with over six million people attending during it‘s seventeen or eighteen days. The fair is held every year in Theresienweise which is often called d‘Wiesen for short. The mayor of München opens the fair ever year by tapping a keg and proclaiming “O’zapft is!” which is Bavarian dialect for “it’s tapped!” Märzen is the beer of choice for Oktoberfest revelers.

Questions?

Sources