# The Infamous German Beer Purity Law of 1516? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 27, 2002, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-infamous-german-beer-purity-law-of-1516/145117 "2002-12-27T06:56:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Keith\_Berry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/22d042/32.png) [@Keith\_Berry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keith_Berry)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-infamous-german-beer-purity-law-of-1516/145117/1 "2002-12-27T06:56:39Z")
When it comes to beer, I’m a truly multicultural consumer, but I have a fondness for certain dark, bitter German beers. Most of these are sold in the United States with a notice that says “Brewed in accordance with the German Beer Purity Law of 1516”. St. Pauli’s Girl immediately comes to mind, as does the one with the picture of the monk rubbing his stomach orgasmically (I can never remember the name, something German that begins with an F). Now, I never really cared about this disclaimer. I don’t really care how beer is brewed, as long as it tastes good. But I eventually came to learn that the Purity Law basically prohibited the use of preservatives. Recently, a German acquaintance of mine informed me that German brews imported to the U.S. do, in fact, contain preservatives, and that the use of that label is essentially false advertising. Does anyone have any detailed info on the exact nature of this “Infamous” brewing law, and wether import companies might be fudging it a little by claiming “strict accordance” with it? ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-infamous-german-beer-purity-law-of-1516/145117/2 "2002-12-27T07:48:20Z")
There seems to be a number of webpages regarding the Reinheitsgebot, or “German Purity Law” of 1516. [Here’s one.](http://hbd.org/brewery/library/ReinHeit.html) The bit about no preservatives seems to be covered by this part: > [@](#): > > Furthermore, we wish to emphasize that in future in all cities, markets 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. An example of the marketing of beer along the lines of this old law (tradition as a selling point, gotta love it!) from my own country, and the [Wanaka Beerworks](http://www.nzsouth.co.nz/wanakabeerworks/). Note that my fellow Kiwis are a year out, quoting “1515”. Oh, well … Um, if they’re claiming that the beer imported where you are, **Keith Berry** , is only made of “barley, hops and water”, but there is also Preservative Chemical 109 or whatever, then yes, strictly, the importers ain’t doing it right. ---
**Author:** ![Keith\_Berry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/22d042/32.png) [@Keith\_Berry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keith_Berry)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-infamous-german-beer-purity-law-of-1516/145117/3 "2002-12-27T08:03:16Z")
Thanks for the info…hmmm…I wonder if preservatives are being added AFTER the brewing process, so that the claim of “Brewed in Strict Accordance” can be sort of cheesily upheld. After all, there has to be some kind of preservatives in there; I can’t imagine them brewing it in Germany, having it sit around in a warehouse for X amount of time, then putting it on a boat and shipping it here, then more warehouse time, then having it set on a shelf for weeks or possibly months before being purchased and consumed…all without preservatives? That beer would be a science experiment in fungus by the time we got it. I can’t taste the difference anyway. Fordham Brewery, a local Maryland beermaker, sells “pure, non-preservative” versions of their Copperhead Ale at some festivals, and be damn if it doesn’t taste the same as the preservative-type you buy at the liquor store. That name “Wanaka” is awesome. I’d drink their beer just for that reason. ---
**Author:** ![fauxpas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e480ec/32.png) [@fauxpas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fauxpas)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-infamous-german-beer-purity-law-of-1516/145117/4 "2002-12-27T08:11:21Z")
lol Keith…so youd like a drink named, “Piss” lol ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-infamous-german-beer-purity-law-of-1516/145117/5 "2002-12-27T08:55:49Z")
Check out the label on Sammy Adams, I believe it claims to be brewed in accordance with the German Purity Law. Preservatives such as formaldahyde are put in some beers. IIRC Miller uses formaldahyde:o ---
**Author:** ![honkytonkwillie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@honkytonkwillie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/honkytonkwillie)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-infamous-german-beer-purity-law-of-1516/145117/6 "2002-12-27T09:07:46Z")
Beck’s used to be my regular drink. It too made claim of being brewed in strict accordance with the purity law. I heard from a local beer distributor that Beck’s “preserved” their export beer by filling the headspace with nitrogen, effectively eliminating a source of oxygen for aerobic decomposition to take place. (He just mentioned the nitrogen bit, and I ran on about the aerobic part.) Whether that’s truly a preservative, who knows? Anyway, on the bottles is stamped an expiration date which is 1 year from the date of bottling. And unlike milk where you can safely drink it a few days after the expiration date if it’s been kept cold, Beck’s was always dead on. Every time I bought some that was even a week past expiration, it was undrinkably skunky. And a week before expiration, no problem at all. One more area in which to be impressed with the precision and accuracy of German manufacturing. ---
**Author:** ![peepthis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9d8465/32.png) [@peepthis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peepthis)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2002, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-infamous-german-beer-purity-law-of-1516/145117/7 "2002-12-28T07:15:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by China Guy \* > \*\*Preservatives such as formaldahyde are put in some beers. IIRC Miller uses formaldahyde:o \*\* According to Cecil, [Miller contains lotsa extra crap](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_356b.html), but no formaldehyde in sight: > [@](#): > > I don’t mean to single out the Miller company, but you may be interested to know that Miller Lite contains propylene glycol alginate, water, barley malt, corn syrup, chemically modified hop extracts, yeast, amyloglucosidase, carbon dioxide, papain enzyme, liquid sugar, potassium metabisulfite, and Emka-malt, whatever that is. It’s an interesting article, on the stuff you can find in our unlabeled American beer. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2002, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-infamous-german-beer-purity-law-of-1516/145117/8 "2002-12-28T07:48:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Keith Berry \* > \*\* > > That name “Wanaka” is awesome. I’d drink their beer just for that reason. \*\* Hey you know that Wanaka is the name of the town that it’s made in don’t you? I used to work next to the Wanaka Beerworks, Brewski and Tall Black was a staple diet :). Very nice beer. BTW Wanaka and it’s surrounds was also used for some of the Lord of the Rings filming. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2002, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-infamous-german-beer-purity-law-of-1516/145117/9 "2002-12-28T07:56:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Skogcat \* > \*\*BTW Wanaka and its surrounds was also used for some of the Lord of the Rings filming. \*\* Oh, you mean the scene where Gandalf gets drunk and tells Frodo to shove the goddamned Ring up his fat ass? ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2002, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-infamous-german-beer-purity-law-of-1516/145117/10 "2002-12-28T08:05:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Derleth \* > \*\*Oh, you mean the scene where Gandalf gets drunk and tells Frodo to shove the goddamned Ring up his fat ass? \*\* Woah. Musta missed that scene. Is it available on DVD, ya think? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![DAVEW0071](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e19b73/32.png) [@DAVEW0071](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DAVEW0071)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2002, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-infamous-german-beer-purity-law-of-1516/145117/11 "2002-12-28T15:23:59Z")
Director’s Cut only. Sorry.