This week marks the 492nd anniversary of the German Reinheitsgebot. For those who don't know, the Reinheitsgebot is a German brewing tradition started in the early 16th century with the declaration of a law by the same name. Popularly translated as the Purity Law, the Reinheitsgebot says that if you want to call something beer, you can only use barley, hops and water to make it. The Reinheitsgebot isn't a law any longer, it was repealed in 1987, but most breweries still follow the spirit of the original law. So why should you care? Well, if it weren't for some Duke in 1516, beer today could defined differently.
So it's probably not all that important, but it's a good excuse to learn more. It's also a good excuse to drink, after all it's 'Beer Week' in Bavaria.
