German Beer Purity Law (2024)

FAQs

German Beer Purity Law? ›

The Reinheitsgebot, the so-called German purity law, might just be the most celebrated manufacturing regulation in the world. As it is most commonly expressed, the Reinheitsgebot (Rine-heights-ge-boat) states that only water, barley malt, hops, and yeast may be used in the brewing of beer.

Because of its longevity, the Reinheitsgebot is now considered the world's oldest, still valid food safety and consumer protection legislation. It is perhaps a much underappreciated fact that there are really two Purity Laws today, the Bavarian and the German.

The statute limits German beer brewers to just four ingredients: malt, hops, yeast and water. The original 1516 Bavarian law governed that the only ingredients allowed were malt (germinated, dried barley), hops and water.

Christian Moerlein — the first American beer to certifiably pass the Reinheitsgebot German Beer Purity Law — is celebrating the 500th anniversary of the founding of the well-known law with a new beer for its core lineup! The new brew is one of Moerlein's three new core beers in addition to Third Wave IPA and OTR Ale.

According to the 1516 Bavarian law, the only ingredients that could be used in the production of beer were water, barley and hops. The text does not mention yeast as an ingredient, although yeast was at the time knowingly used in the brewing process.

For more than 140 years, Beck's has been brewed with only 4 ingredients, in accordance with the legendary German Purity Law. Founded by Heinrich Beck in 1873 on the banks of the river Weser in the free Hanseatic city of Bremen, Beck's is a characterful Pilsner.

True to its name, this beer delivers a yeast-forward flavor profile in a wheat beer. Notably, wheat beers weren't authorized under the Reinheitsgebot, the Bavarian beer purity law of 1516. That law stipulated that beers in the region could only be made with three basic ingredients—water, hops and barley.

In Germany, four natural ingredients may be used for brewing beer – water, malt, hops and yeast. This is governed by the Purity Law of 1516, the oldest, valid consumer protection law in the world that is still unchanged. It stands for transparency, naturalness, clarity and purity.

Yeast was not yet used for fermentation and therefore was not added to the list of allowed ingredients until 1906. The rationale behind the enactment of the Reinheitsgebot is not quite clear.

Global leading countries in beer production 2022

China was the leading producer of beer in terms of production volume in 2022. In that year, around 360.41 million hectoliters of beer were brewed in China. The United States was the second leading producer of beer in that year, at 194.1 million hectoliters.

Does Heineken follow German purity law? ›

Heineken is brewed conforming to German purity laws using solely purified water, malted barley, hops and yeast using the following ten stage process: 1. Whole malted barley is ground to produce a rough flour known as grist.

Does German beer in general contain more alcohol? That's true. American beers generally range from 3.5 to 3.8% alcohol. German beers are in the range of 4.5 to 5.5%.

The Reinheitsgebot passed in Bavaria in 1516, however, was the first major codified legal regulation, and was later adopted by all of Germany. The original law of 1516 remained in force right up to the 1980s, when it was struck down by the European Court on competition grounds.

The beer purity law only allows the use of water, barley malt and hops, including their chemically non-altered ingredients such as hops extract and hop pellets.

The German Beer Purity Law

It is the oldest regulation related to food and drink in the world. To achieve a consistent level of quality in beer brewing, the German Beer Purity Law dictate that the ingredients for beer must be water, barley malt and hops.

Reinheitsgebot, also known as the 'purity law', is said to be the oldest, still-enforced food regulation in the world. It was ordered by Duke Wilhelm IV of Bavaria in the year 1516. The Purity law required that “nothing other than barley, hops, and water” be used to produce beer.

All you need to say is für mich bitte ein Bier, or “For me a beer, please.” If you're sitting at the bar, you can also say Ich hätte gerne ein Bier, which means “I would like a beer” in German.

Drinking in Public

Unlike in many other countries, alcohol consumption, and especially drinking beer, in public is not only legal but very common in Germany. The so-called Feierabendbier (end-of-work beer) is still a vivid part of the German beer and working culture.

Erdinger Alkoholfrei German Alcohol Free Beer. For the longest time, Germany breweries lead the world in alcohol-free beer that actually tasted like…well, beer.

Reinheitsgebot, also known as the 'purity law', is said to be the oldest, still-enforced food regulation in the world. It was ordered by Duke Wilhelm IV of Bavaria in the year 1516. The Purity law required that “nothing other than barley, hops, and water” be used to produce beer.