Happy 500th Anniversary of the German Beer Purity Laws!

If you're a beer nerd, culture nerd, food nerd, Germany nerd or nerd nerd, you know about Reinheitsgebot. It's one of the oldest food mandates on the planet--if not the oldest--and it's had a profound impact on the world of beer, as it dictated the ingredients of beer in Germany, leading to the distinct German styles that we know and enjoy today.

A little backstory: according to most popular theories, on April 23, 1516, the Bavarian leaders Duke Wilhelm IV and Duke Ludwig X decided to enact a law dictating that only very specific ingredients could be included in the creation of beer. The law, Reinheitsgebot declared that only barley, hops, and water could be used in brewing (Louis Pasteur wasn't around yet to tell them about yeast's role in fermentation). According to the German Beer Institute (where I hope to one day earn a degree, honorary or otherwise):

The intent of the law was to keep beer "pure" by feudal decree, that is, to keep cheap and often unhealthy ingredients — such as rushes, roots, mushrooms, and animals products — out of the people's drink. In medieval times, brewers often used such ingredients to raise their profits by lowering their standards.

Lagers are generally more regulated than ales, which have a little more wiggle room, but the standards are meant to apply to the entirety of the German beer industry. Despite being ruled unenforceable as a barrier of trade in 1987, the purity laws are still used as a marketing and cultural touchstone for the German beer industry.

So, how can you celebrate in the Hudson Valley?

I know that this is why you're actually here, because you were looking for an excuse to drink from a gigantic stein. Well, of course, the best way is to swing on through to your local establishment and grab a German beer, be it a bottle of your favorite lager or at your favorite German-centric bar or restaurant.

Schatzi's in Poughkeepsie and New Paltz, for instance (my go-to for pretty much everything, and also German beer and food experts), is going to be celebrating the weekend with a whole slate of special German beers: Hacker-Pschorr Hubertus Bock, Ayinger Celebrator, Reisdorff Kolsch, Spaten Oktoberfest, Krombacher Helles, and Franziskaner Hefeweizen will all be on tap starting today (Friday, 4/22) at 3PM.

Here's the law in its translated entirety, courtesy of Karl J. Eden:

"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 Mass [Bavarian Liter 1,069] or one Kopf [bowl-shaped container for fluids, not quite one Mass], is not to exceed one Pfennig Munich value, and

"From Georgi to Michaelmas, the Mass shall not be sold for more than two Pfennig of the same value, the Kopf not more than three Heller [Heller usually one-half 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 Pfennig per Mass.

"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.

"Should, however, an innkeeper in the country, city or markets buy two or three pails of beer (containing 60 Mass) and sell it again to the common peasantry, he alone shall be permitted to charge one Heller more for the Mass of the 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."

PROST!