Why did Duke Wilhelm IV of Bavaria sign this into law?
Restrictions on production through government regulation are nothing new. Many countries place limits on what can be produced, purchased, and sold within their borders for a multitude of reasons. One of the more interesting restrictions on beer occurred in Germany back in 1516 and its influence is still felt today. It is known as the Reinheitsgebot, or the German Purity Law and it was originally enacted in the city of Ingolstadt in the Bavarian region of Germany.
What does the German Purity Law proclaim? Well, the basics of this law are actually very simple and direct. The law stated that any beer produced in Germany can be made using only the basic ingredients: Water, Barley, Hops and (technically, even though it wasn’t stated in the law) yeast. Under this law, many types of beer were no longer allowed to be brewed. Wheat- based brew, for example, was suddenly unlawful, as was any beer that departed from barley as its sole grain. Many of the popular beer products brewed in the United States today would not have been permitted to be brewed under the provisions of this law.
So, why exactly would a nation wish to impose such restrictions on brewing beer? Well, there are several reasons and they have little to do with the quality of the beer itself. One reason was the importance of bread to the daily diet. Since bread is usually made with wheat, this restriction meant that wheat would be used mostly by bakers in the production of bread. Another reason was a form of trade protectionism. With this law in place, certain foreign brewing competitors would no longer be permitted to sell their beer in Germany. Yet another reason proponents supported this law in later years was health related. These individuals felt that limiting beer to only the basic ingredients would make it safer for consumption because it would eliminate additives/adjuncts that could prove harmful.
The German Purity Law was overturned in 1987, allowing German brewers to make beer with any ingredients of their choosing. It also allowed foreign competitors a chance to sell their non- Reinheitsgebot compliant brew in the German state. In spite of the elimination of the German Purity Law, many brewers still like to invoke it, as a marketing strategy. It is still common to see the phrase “brewed in accordance with the German Purity Law of 1516” on the label of a bottle of German brew and even certain American craft brewers like to point out that they, too, conform to this law of purity.
Signed by Duke Wilhelm IV of Bavaria on April 23, 1516, the German Purity Law is probably the best- known restriction on beer ingredients in brewing history. Proponents claimed it was beneficial to health and business, while opponents both within and without Germany criticized it sharply as nothing more than a form of trade protectionism and an affront to business freedom and consumer choice. The German Purity Law is no longer the official law of the land, but its influence will still be felt for generations to come as brewers in Germany and elsewhere promote the purity of their products by invoking this famous/infamous law.
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