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A Trip to the Grocery Store (or Reinheitsgebot, Mein Arse! ) Our up coming Rhine River cruise (with beerincluded in the cost of the trip) caused me to reflect on “Rheinheisgebot”, the German purity law defining malt, hops and water as the only ingredients to be used in the brewing of beer. The origins of the law date from the fifteenth century in the Duchy of Munich, but after unification on April 23, 1516, the law was adopted all across Bavaria. Slowly the rules spread to the rest of the country and , in fact, Bavaria insisted upon it’s application all throughout Germany as a condition of it’s unification in 1871. But two years later, because of opposition from Northern Brewers, additional ingredients were merely taxed rather than banned. Not until 1906 was the law consistent throughout Germany and the term was not even formally used until the Weimar republic in 1919. Several changes in the law have been made over the years including having it apply only to lagers and allowing adjunct ingredients as long as the end result was not labeled “beer”. In spite of the changes, the term Rheinheitsgebot continues to be used as a marketing ploy, not only in Germany but also by such brewers as Gordon Borsch in California. With Reinheitsgebot firmly ensconsed in my mind, Iwent to the liquor store on a sweltering day in search of some German style brews for hot weather drinking. I had a powerful hankering for some helles or weissbier, but was very dismayed to realize that there aren’t a heck of a lot of American craft brewers who hold Rheinheitsgebot in the same high regard as the Germans. The summer beer aisle contained not a single helles and very few unflavored weiss or witbiers. I saw blueberry wheat, blackberry wit, raspberry wheat, watermelon wheat, pineapple lager, chili pepper beer, peach lager, and even apple flavor ale. Who needs this when so many ciders are available?. I thought to hell with the summer beer idea; I’ll just pick up a few pale ales and IPAs to enjoy on the deck. Alas, again I felt like I was back in the produce section of the local Shop Rite: grapefruit IPA, mango IPA, apricot pale ale, orange peel IPA, blood orange IPA, passionfruit pale ale, tangerine IPA, hibiscus ale and lemon zest IPA were all proudly displayed. I had to search hard to find the only six pack of Ballantine left. I fared no better in the dark beer section where raspberry, chocolate, coffee, and black currant stout were offered and maple, caramel and coconut porter lined the shelves. I have read of Dogfish Head’s Scrapple beer, Well’s Banana Bread beer, many companies brewing peanut butter beer, a pizza beer (I actually tried that one, after having been given a gratis bottle….nasty, indeed), and we are only a month away from the onslaught of pumpkin brews which, for almost the entire fall season, will monopolize the retailers’ shelves, making still less room available for Rheinheitsgebot inspired brews. Shortly after the last trick or treater knocks on the door comes the advent of Christmas or (for the politically correct morons amongst us) “holiday” beers, with every imaginable spice you can think of to tickle your palate while sitting by the fire or celebrating around the tree: nutmeg, cinnamon, clove, coriander, and allspice to name a few. Considering all the Christmas spices along with the oregano, chili pepper, Old Bay, sage, Grains of Paradise and other spices used in other seasonal brews, if prohibition ever comes back (God forbid!), I wouldn’t be surprised if the McCormick spice company went belly up along with the brewers. So far we’ve only visited the produce and spice departments, but the supermarket is vast and varied. A stop at the seafood counter makes us wonder why Flying Dog’s use of Old Bay seasoning in it’s Dead Rise Summer Ale doesn’t inspire them to take the extra step and brew some Crab Cake Ale as an alternative to Oyster Stout. The unbelievably horrible Bud and Clamato would make even the most dedicated craft beer aficionado long for a plain old Bud. The snack aisle is next. Beer and pretzels are a long standing tradition. Surely some enthusiastic brewer can combine the two for a really chewy Pretzel Lager, thereby killing two birds with one stone. The dairy section offers a few possibilities for off-the- wall breweries. Cheddar Ale and Limburger Rauchbier come to mind, along with cream ale. Condiments are required for savory dining and if Sierra Nevada can make various mustards flavored with beer, I see no reason why they shouldn't make beer flavored with mustard, as it would seem to pair well in a side by side tasting with Pretzel Lager. With so many brewers producing gose, a detestable drink, and gose tasting strongly of salt, another example of condiments in beer is evident. Some brewers have turned to the supermarket bakery in order to seek out new ingredients. Forgotten Boardwalk’s Funnel Cake Ale, Odd Side Ale’s Granny’s Apple Pie Ale, Sprecher’s Hard Apple Pie Ale and Lancaster’s Shoofly Pie Porter are some examples. Many brewers make rye ales. Triumph’s Jewish Rye Beer tastes just like it sounds. Can Corned Beef Altbier be far behind? That brings us to the last stop on our grocery shopping trip: the meat counter. There are many on-line controversies raging about whether or not Guinness uses meat in it’s production. Perhaps in the middle ages a rat or two may have found their way into the beer before packaging (see….rats are intelligent!) but modern disputes about this are unfounded and ridiculous. However, while researching the question I did find out that a brewery in Colorado had made some Rocky Mountain Oyster stout, brewed with bull testicles, and also uncovered an English recipe for Cock Ale, brewed with chicken broth. That beer might be a big hit at the Sunnyrest Nudist Beer Festival! All this discussion of non-Rheinheitsgebot beers makes me realize that a trip to the grocery store may never be necessary. A visit to the liquor store may be all that’s required to sustain life. (But give me a Pabst Blue Ribbon anyday!) Cheers! Dan |
| Another two glasses up article from Dan Hodge! |
| Someone has to say these things and it could only be Dan! |
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Beer My Way.........
Beernexus.com proudly presents....DAN HODGE, beer reviewer, historian and raconteur
anything and everything about beer
by Dan Hodge
