reinheitsgebot

The {{lang|de|Reinheitsgebot}} ({{IPA|de|ˈʁaɪnhaɪtsɡəˌboːt|-|De-Reinheitsgebot.ogg}}; {{literally|purity order}}) is a series of regulations limiting the ingredients in beer in Germany and the states of the former Holy Roman Empire. The best known version of the law was adopted in Bavaria in 1516 (by William IV), but similar regulations predate the Bavarian order, and modern regulations also significantly differ from the 1516 Bavarian version. Although today the {{lang|de|Reinheitsgebot}} is mentioned in various texts about the history of beer, historically it was only applied in the duchy, electorate, then Kingdom of Bavaria and from 1906 in Germany as a whole, and it had little or no effect in other countries or regions.

1516 Bavarian law

The most influential predecessor of the modern {{lang|de|Reinheitsgebot}} was a law first adopted in the Duchy of Bavaria-Munich in 1487. After Bavaria was reunited, the Munich law was adopted across the entirety of Bavaria on 23 April 1516.{{Cite book|title = Munich: Hofbräuhaus & History: Beer, Culture, & Politics|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=-X4jgPG0360C&pg=PA10|publisher = Peter Lang|date = 2006|isbn = 9780820486062|first = Jeffrey S.|last = Gaab|page = 10}} As Germany unified, Bavaria pushed for adoption of this law on a national basis (see {{section link|#Broader adoption}}).

= Ingredients permitted =

File:Freshly picked hops.jpg

File:Barley.jpg

According to the 1516 Bavarian law, the only ingredients that could be used in the production of beer were water, barley and hops.{{Cite web|url=http://www.private-brauereien.de/de/reinheitsgebot/was-ist-das-reinheitsgebot-von-1516/index.php|title=Was ist das Reinheitsgebot von 1516? |publisher=Private Brauereien Bayern e.V.|access-date=22 December 2017|archive-date=23 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190523172949/http://www.private-brauereien.de/de/reinheitsgebot/was-ist-das-reinheitsgebot-von-1516/index.php|url-status=dead}} The text does not mention yeast as an ingredient, although yeast was at the time knowingly used in the brewing process. It is likely that brewers of the time preferred to see yeast as a fixture of the brewing process. Yeast produced in one batch was commonly transferred to a subsequent batch, thus giving yeast a more permanent character in the brewing process. A full understanding of the chemical basis of yeast and the fermentation process did not come until much later.

= Other regulations =

The 1516 Bavarian law set the price of beer (depending on the time of year and type of beer), limited the profits made by innkeepers, and made confiscation the penalty for making impure beer.

= Text =

The text (translated) of the 1516 Bavarian law is as follows:

{{quote|text=We hereby proclaim and decree, by Authority of our Province, that henceforth in the Duchy of Bavaria, in the country as well as in the cities and marketplaces, the following rules apply to the sale of beer:

From Michaelmas to Georgi, the price for one {{lang|de|Mass}} [{{cvt|1,069|ml|imppt|disp=comma}}] or one {{lang|de|Kopf}} [bowl-shaped container for fluids, not quite one {{lang|de|Mass}}], is not to exceed one {{lang|de|Pfennig}} Munich value, and

From Georgi to Michaelmas, the {{lang|de|Mass}} shall not be sold for more than two {{lang|de|Pfennig}} of the same value, the {{lang|de|Kopf}} not more than three {{lang|de|Heller}} [one {{lang|de|Heller}} usually equals one-half {{lang|de|Pfennig}}].

If this not be adhered to, the punishment stated below shall be administered.

Should any person brew, or otherwise have, other beer than March beer, it is not to be sold any higher than one {{lang|de|Pfennig}} per {{lang|de|Mass}}.

Furthermore, we wish to emphasize that in future in all cities, market-towns and in the country, the only ingredients used for the brewing of beer must be Barley, Hops and Water. Whosoever knowingly disregards or transgresses upon this ordinance, shall be punished by the Court authorities' confiscating such barrels of beer, without fail.

Should, however, an innkeeper in the country, city or market-towns buy two or three pails of beer (containing 60 {{lang|de|Mass}}) and sell it again to the common peasantry, he alone shall be permitted to charge one {{lang|de|Heller}} more for the {{lang|de|Mass}} or the {{lang|de|Kopf}}, than mentioned above. Furthermore, should there arise a scarcity and subsequent price increase of the barley (also considering that the times of harvest differ, due to location), WE, the Bavarian Duchy, shall have the right to order curtailments for the good of all concerned.|source=Bavarian Reinheitsgebot of 1516 (emphasis added){{cite journal|last1=Eden|first1=Karl J.|title=History of German Brewing|journal=Zymurgy|date=1993|volume=16|issue=4|url=http://brewery.org/library/ReinHeit.html}}}}

Purpose, significance, and effect

= Purpose =

The Bavarian order of 1516 was introduced in part to prevent price competition with bakers for wheat and rye. The restriction of grains to barley was meant to ensure the availability of affordable bread, as wheat and rye were reserved for use by bakers.{{Cite magazine|title = April 23, 1516: Bavaria Cracks Down on Beer Brewers|url = https://www.wired.com/2010/04/0423deutsche-reinheitsgebot-german-beer-purity-law/|magazine = Wired|date = 23 April 2010|access-date = 5 September 2015|first = Betsy|last = Mason|quote = While barley is not very digestible and consequently does not make for good eating, grains like wheat and rye are great for bread. The Bavarian leadership wanted to head off competition for those grains, in order to keep the price of food down.}} The rule may have also had a protectionist role, as beers from Northern Germany often contained additives that could not be grown in Bavaria.{{Cite book|title = Soziologie des Essens: eine sozial- und kulturwissenschaftliche Einführung in die Ernährungsforschung|trans-title=Sociology of food: a social and cultural science introduction to nutrition research|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=_gG2lFpoCfgC|publisher = Juventa|date = 1999|isbn = 9783779914648|language = de|first = Eva|last = Barlösius|page = 213}}

Religious conservatism may have also played a role in adoption of the rule in Bavaria, to suppress the use of plants that were allegedly used in pagan rituals, such as gruit, henbane, belladonna, or wormwood.{{Cite book|title = Enzyklopädie der psychoaktiven Pflanzen: Botanik, Ethnopharmakologie und Anwendung|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=GG4QAQAAMAAJ|publisher = AT |date = 1998|isbn = 9783855025701|language = de|first = Christian|last = Rätsch|page = 733}}{{Rp|410–411}} The rule also excluded problematic methods of preserving beer, such as soot, stinging nettle and henbane.{{cite web|url=http://www.christian-raetsch.de/Artikel/Artikel/Urbock-oder-echtes-Bier.html|first=Christian |last=Rätsch|author-link=Christian Rätsch|date=29 July 2015|access-date=26 August 2015|title=Urbock oder echtes Bier|quote=Diese ehemaligen Anpflanzungen leben in verschiedenen Ortbezeichnungen bis heute fort, z.B. Bilsensee, Billendorf, Bilsengarten und vor allem im böhmischen Pilsen. So hat die Stadt, nach der unser modernes, stark gehopftes Bier 'Pilsner' heißt, seinen Namen selbst vom Bilsenkraut, das dem echten 'Pilsener Bier', nämlich dem Bilsenkraut-Bier seinen Namen verlieh! In der Schweiz lebt der alte Name pilsener krut in der Bezeichnung Pilsenkraut bis heute fort. |trans-quote=These former plantations live on in various place names, e.g. Billendorf, Bilsengarten, and above all the Bohemian Pilsen. The city that gives its name to our modern heavily hopped Pilsner beer itself gets its name from henbane [Bilsenkraut], which gave its name to the genuine Pilsner beer, namely henbane beer! In Switzerland the old name puksener krut lives in the designation 'Pilsen herb' [Pilsenkraut].|language=de }}

= Significance and continuity =

While some sources refer to the Bavarian law of 1516 as the first law regulating food safety, this is inaccurate, as earlier food safety regulations can be traced back as far as ancient Rome.{{Cite book|title = The Sage Encyclopedia of Food Issues|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=8_caCAAAQBAJ|publisher = Sage |date = 2015|isbn = 9781506317304|first = Ken|last = Albala|page = 1488}} Similarly, some sources claim that the law has been essentially unchanged since its adoption, but as early as the mid-1500s Bavaria began to allow ingredients such as coriander, bay leaf, and wheat.Karin Hackel-Stehr (1987). {{lang|la|Das Brauwesen in Bayern vom 14. bis 16. Jahrhundert, insbesondere die Entstehung und Entwicklung des Reinheitsgebotes (1516)}}. Dissertation. Berlin. pp. 2450, 2472.{{Cite web|url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/german-reinheitsgebot-beer-purity-law-turns-500-a-1086681.html|title=Attacking Beer Purity: The Twilight of Germany's Reinheitsgebot|last=Klawitter|first=Nils|date=21 April 2016|website=Spiegel Online|access-date=24 April 2016}} Yeast was also added to modern versions of the law after the discovery of its role in fermentation.

The {{lang|de|Reinheitsgebot}} remains the most famous law that regulates the brewing of beer,{{Cite magazine |last=Alworth |first=Jeff |date=2016-03-01 |title=Attempting to Understand the Reinheitsgebot |url=http://allaboutbeer.com/article/happy-birthday-reinheitsgebot/ |magazine=All About Beer |language=en-US |volume=37 |issue=1 |access-date=2018-04-23}} and continues to influence brewing not only in Germany, but around the world.{{Cite web |url=http://fortune.com/2016/04/23/reinheitsgebot-german-beer-law/ |title=How this 500-year-old law shaped the global beer industry |last=Kell |first=John |date=2016-04-23 |website=Fortune |language=en |access-date=2018-04-23}}

= Effect on beer diversity in Germany =

Modern versions of the law have contained significant exceptions for different types of beer (such as top-fermented beers), for export beers, and for different regions. The basic law now declares that only malted barley/wheat/rye, hops, water and yeast are permitted.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-36110288|title=German beer: 500 years of 'Reinheitsgebot' rules |work=BBC News |date=22 April 2016 }} The {{lang|de|Reinheitsgebot}} strictly forbids the use of extenders such as rice, maize, sorghum and other grains favored by American brewers to give a lighter taste as well as being less expensive to brew.

In response to the growth of craft breweries globally, some commentators,{{Rp|122}}{{Cite news|title = Brauereisterben: The sad state of German beer culture |url = http://www.slate.com/articles/life/drink/2011/03/brauereisterben.html|newspaper = Slate|date = 2 March 2011|access-date = 5 September 2015|issn = 1091-2339|first = Christian|last = DeBenedetti}} German brewers,{{Cite news|title = Mikro-Bierbrauer und das deutsche Reinheitsgebot|url = https://www.welt.de/regionales/hamburg/article134913459/Mikro-Bierbrauer-und-das-deutsche-Reinheitsgebot.html|newspaper = Welt Online|date = 1 December 2014|access-date = 5 September 2015|first = Claudia|last = Thaler}} and even German politicians have argued that the {{lang|de|Reinheitsgebot}} has slowed Germany's adoption of beer trends popular in the rest of the world, such as Belgian lambics and American craft styles. In late 2015, Bavarian brewers voted in favor of a revision to the beer laws to allow other natural ingredients. Many brewers still follow the original 1516 purity law as it is considered to be a part of the national identity.

History

Until the mid-20th century, the {{lang|de|Reinheitsgebot}} was relatively unknown and applied unevenly across Germany.{{Cite journal |last=Terrell |first=Robert Shea |date=2023-01-18 |title=Entanglements of Scale: The Beer Purity Law from Bavarian Oddity to German Icon, 1906–1975 |journal=Contemporary European History |volume=33 |issue=2 |language=en |pages=748–762 |doi=10.1017/S096077732200087X |s2cid=256077412 |issn=0960-7773|doi-access=free }} In the mid-20th century, Bavarian brewers rallied around the {{lang|de|Reinheitsgebot}} to protect themselves against competition amid European market integration.{{Cite journal |last=Terrell |first=Robert Shea |date=2023 |title=Entanglements of Scale: The Beer Purity Law from Bavarian Oddity to German Icon, 1906–1975 |journal=Contemporary European History |volume=33 |issue=2 |pages=748–762 |language=en |doi=10.1017/S096077732200087X |s2cid=256077412 |issn=0960-7773|doi-access=free }}

= Predecessors =

File:Reinheitsgebot München Viktualienmarkt wiki.JPG {{lang|de|Reinheitsgebot}}]]

The earliest documented mention of beer by a German nobleman is the granting of a brewing licence by Emperor Otto II to the church at Liege (now in Belgium), awarded in 974.""Porst". {{lang|de|Reallexikon der germanischen Altertumskunde}}. Vol. 23, {{ISBN|3-11-017535-5}}, pp. 287ff. A variety of other beer regulations also existed in Germany during the late Middle Ages, including in Nuremberg in 1293, Erfurt in 1351, and Weißensee in 1434.{{Cite web|title = German Beer History|url = http://www.germanbeerinstitute.com/history.html|website = German Beer Institute|access-date = 4 September 2015|url-status = dead|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150924021914/http://www.germanbeerinstitute.com/history.html|archive-date = 24 September 2015}}{{Cite web|title = Reinheitsgebot 1434|url = http://www.weissenseer-reinheitsgebot.de/statuta.html|website = www.weissenseer-reinheitsgebot.de|access-date = 5 September 2015|last = Pohle}}

= Broader adoption =

The Bavarian order of 1516 formed the basis of rules that spread slowly throughout Germany. Bavaria insisted on its application throughout Germany as a precondition of German unification in 1871. The move encountered strong resistance from brewers outside Bavaria, and imperial law of 1873 taxed the use of other ingredients (rather than banning them) when used by Northern German brewers.{{Cite book|title = The Oxford Companion to Beer|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=gYVLHMmplRcC|publisher = Oxford University Press, USA|date = 9 September 2011|isbn = 9780195367133|first = Garrett|last = Oliver|page = 392}} It was not until 1906 that the law was applied consistently across all of Germany, and it was not formally referred to as {{lang|de|Reinheitsgebot}} until the Weimar Republic.{{Cite book|title = The Economics of Beer|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=eB6KRnib_m0C|publisher = Oxford University Press|date = 27 October 2011|isbn = 9780191505010|first = Johan F. M.|last = Swinnen}}

In 1952, the basic regulations of the {{lang|de|Reinheitsgebot}} were incorporated into the West German {{lang|de|Biersteuergesetz}} (Beer Taxation Law). Bavarian law remained stricter than that of the rest of the country, leading to legal conflict during the 1950s and early 1960s. The law initially applied only to bottom-fermented ("lager") beers, but brewers of other types of beer soon accepted the law as well.

Outside of Germany, the {{lang|de|Reinheitsgebot}} was formally incorporated in Greek law by the first Greek king, Otto (originally a Bavarian prince).{{Cite magazine|title = Last orders for Reinheitsgebot|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=uoh4aK11JH8C|magazine = New Scientist|date = 25 September 1986|first = Misha|last = Glenny}} German brewers at the Tsingtao Brewery in the German colony in Qingdao, China also followed the law voluntarily.{{Cite web|url=http://www.dw.com/de/tsingtao-und-das-deutsche-bier/a-16958339|title=Tsingtao und das deutsche Bier|last=von Lüpke-Schwarz|first=Marc|date=19 August 2013|website=Deutsche Welle|language=de|access-date=9 March 2017}}

= Modern changes =

In March 1987 French brewers sued and, in the case of Commission v Germany (C-178/84), the European Court of Justice found that the {{lang|de|Reinheitsgebot}} was protectionist, and therefore in violation of Article 30 of the Treaty of Rome.{{CELEX|id=61984CJ0178|text=Judgment of the Court of 12 March 1987. Commission of the European Communities v Federal Republic of Germany. Failure of a State to fulfil its obligations – Purity requirement for beer. Case 178/84}}, {{ECLI|ECLI:EU:C:1987:126}} This ruling concerned only imported beer, so Germany chose to continue to apply the law to beer brewed in Germany. (Greece's version of the {{lang|de|Reinheitsgebot}} was struck down around the same time.) General food safety and labeling laws may also apply.

After German reunification in 1990 the Neuzeller Kloster Brewery, a former monastery brewery in the East German town of Neuzelle, Brandenburg, was warned to stop selling its black beer as it contained sugar. After some negotiations the brewery was allowed to sell it under the name {{lang|de|Schwarzer Abt}} ("Black Abbot") but could not label it {{lang|de|'Bier'}}. This decision was repealed by the Federal Administrative Court of Germany through a special permit, and after legal disputes lasting ten years (known as the "Brandenburg Beer War") Neuzeller Kloster Brewery gained the right to call {{lang|de|Schwarzer Abt}} {{lang|de|'Bier'}} again.

The revised {{lang|de|Vorläufiges Biergesetz}} (Provisional Beer Law) of 1993, which replaced the earlier regulations, is a slightly expanded version of the {{lang|de|Reinheitsgebot}}, stipulating that only water, malted barley, hops and yeast be used for any bottom-fermented beer brewed in Germany. In addition, the law allows the use of powdered or ground hops and hop extracts, as well as stabilization and fining agents such as PVPP. Top-fermented beer is subject to the same rules, with the addition that a wider variety of malted grains can be used, as well as pure sugars for flavor and coloring.{{cite web|language = de|title = Bundesgesetzblatt 1993 |at=Part I, p. 1400|url = http://archiv.jura.uni-saarland.de/BGBl/TEIL1/1993/19931400.1.HTML|website = Law Web Saarbrücken|publisher = Institut für Rechtsinformatik, Universität des Saarlandes|access-date = 20 September 2014|ref = 5|archive-date = 7 August 2011|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110807131540/http://archiv.jura.uni-saarland.de/BGBl/TEIL1/1993/19931400.1.HTML|url-status = dead}}

The law's applicability was further limited by a court ruling in 2005, which allowed the sale of beer with different ingredients as long as it was not labeled "beer".{{Cite web|title = 499 Jahre deutsches Reinheitsgebot|url = http://www.lto.de/recht/feuilleton/f/bier-reinheitsgebot-lebensmittel/|access-date = 5 September 2015|last = Buse|date = 23 April 2015|first = Patrick|publisher = Legal Tribune Online}} The law thus became a labeling standard.

Exceptions to the current rules can be sought, and have been granted to allow gluten-free beer to be labeled as beer despite the use of different ingredients.{{Cite web|title = NRW-Regierung rüttelt nicht am Reinheitsgebot für Bier|trans-title=North Rhine–Westphalia government does not shake the beer purity law |url = https://www.derwesten.de/region/nrw-ruettelt-nicht-am-reinheitsgebot-fuer-bier-id11052281.html|website = WAZ|access-date = 5 September 2015|first = Holger|last = Dumke|date = 2 September 2015|language = de|archive-date = 24 September 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150924052813/http://www.derwesten.de/region/nrw-ruettelt-nicht-am-reinheitsgebot-fuer-bier-id11052281.html|url-status = dead}}

Use in beer marketing

File:Muenchner Reinheitsgebot.JPG

Because of strong German consumer preferences, labeling beer as being compliant with {{lang|de|Reinheitsgebot}} is believed to be a valuable marketing tool in Germany. German brewers have used the law to market German beer internationally, including a failed attempt to have the law added to the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritages.{{Cite web|title = Push Brews in Germany To Add Beer To United Nations' Cultural Heritage List|url = https://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2013/12/11/push-brews-in-germany-to-add-beer-to-united-nations-cultural-heritage-list/|website = WSJ Blogs – Speakeasy|date = 11 December 2013|access-date = 5 September 2015}}{{Cite web|title = Interview Christoph Wulf zu Aufnahmen Immaterielles Kulturerbe|url = http://www.unesco.de/kultur/2014/uho-12-2014-ike-interview-wulf.html|website = Unesco.de|access-date = 5 September 2015|date = 1 December 2014}}{{dead link|date=May 2025}} Breweries in Norway often follow the same rules as in the {{lang|de|Reinheitsgebot}}. Some breweries outside Germany also claim to be compliant with the {{lang|de|Reinheitsgebot}} as part of their marketing,{{Cite web|title = Company History|url = http://www.gordonbiersch.com/brewery/history.html|website = Gordon Biersch|access-date = 5 September 2015|url-status = dead|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150826162155/http://www.gordonbiersch.com/brewery/history.html|archive-date = 26 August 2015}}{{Cite book|title = Beer, Sociability, and Masculinity in South Africa|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=cFHCi6M_XwgC|publisher = Indiana University Press|year= 2010|isbn = 978-0253354495|first = Anne Kelk|last = Mager|page = 127}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.explorewaterlooregion.com/2017/05/beer-in-waterloo-region/|title=Where to Find Exceptional Craft Beer in Waterloo Region|date=17 May 2017}} such as:

Bierstadt Lagerhaus in Denver, Colorado
WEST Brewery in Glasgow, Scotland
Kloud in Korea
Gordon Biersch in California
Red Oak Brewery in Whitsett, North Carolina
Olde Mecklenburg Brewery in Charlotte, North Carolina
Schulz Bräu{{Cite web|title=Schulz Bräu website| date=21 November 2018 |url = https://www.schulzbraubrewing.com/blog-creating-schulz/|access-date = 28 November 2023}} in Knoxville, Tennessee
Namibia Breweries in Windhoek, Namibia
Rosenstadt Brewery in Portland, Oregon{{cite news |last1=Geiselhart |first1= Von Brigitte|title=Mit Bier durch die Krise |url=https://www.badische-zeitung.de/mit-bier-durch-die-krise--184890371.html |access-date=9 May 2021 |publisher=Badische Zeitung |date=April 18, 2020}}
Penn Brewery in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Bitte Schön Brauhaus in New Hamburg, Ontario
Steam Whistle Brewing in Toronto, Ontario
Okanagan Spring Brewery in Vernon, British Columbia
New Glarus Brewing Company in New Glarus, Wisconsin
Bohemian Brewery in Salt Lake City, Utah
Chinggis Beer in Mongoliahttp://www.chinggisbeer.com{{primary inline|date=May 2025}}
Eisenbahn in Brazil
Brewery Becker in Brighton, Michigan
Bierkeller Brewing Company in Columbia, South Carolina

For some vegans the {{lang|de|Reinheitsgebot}} can be seen as a strong indication that the beer marked as such is vegan.{{Cite web|last=Joey|first=Vegan|date=2021-10-05|title=Vegan lager? Is lager vegan? how to tell if a lager is vegan |website=Vegans 247|url=https://vegans247.com/vegan-lager-is-lager-vegan/|access-date=2021-11-11|language=en-US|archive-date=11 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211111190945/https://vegans247.com/vegan-lager-is-lager-vegan/|url-status=dead}} This is in absence of legislation in the UK and elsewhere which require beers to be labelled with all their ingredients and nutritional information.{{Cite web|last=Young|first=Jay|title=Alcohol Labelling Requirements Explained |publisher=Premier Labels|url=https://www.premierlabels.uk.com/news/alcohol-labelling-requirements-explained|access-date=2021-11-11|language=en}}{{clear|right}}