Franconian Beer Message Board
Jeff Maisel and the purity law |
| Posted by barry on 2016-01-22 03:56:50 |
| I've often pondered on these new beers. When I started drinking beer in Manchester, some 55 years ago, the choice was pretty limited: cask bitter and mild (& the occasional IPA), bottled brown and pale/light ale. However, I could sample beer from at least half a dozen breweries with comparative ease and these differed considerably in levels of hops and malt; thus, we had some confirmed supporters of Boddingtons, some of Robinsons, Wilsons, Holts, Hydes, etc., etc. I was part of a generation for whom sugar was rationed, so likewise sugary drinks (never saw Coca-Cola 'til I was a teenager, thank goodness), confectionary, sweets, etc. I suppose that this made us much less inclined to sweet things and I'm still much the same way. I'm wondering, therefore, whether there is a link between the present rise in sugar consumption, which is a major concern in the western world, and the development of these new concoctions. Personally, I wouldn't cross the street to drink a 'Chocolate Orange IPA' or a 'Mango Lassi Gose' - apart from anything else, IPA and Gose are supposed to be bitter and these beers seem to present a contradiction. Although the Reinheitsgebot seems to be more a marketing ploy than anything else, I'm happy for German brewers to carry on in their traditional way. However, if someone wants to brew something different, it seems odd to stop them by using a medieval law, which pre-dates the discovery of the process of fermentation and, thus, misses out yeast in its prescription. The answer seems to me to be in accurate labelling of the product and not mking false claims. |
| Followups: |
 Jeff Maisel and the purity law by John Ratcliffe on 2016-01-22 05:41:44 |
| Jeff Maisel and the purity law by Andy H on 2016-01-22 08:42:46 |
| Jeff Maisel and the purity law by Nick B. on 2016-01-25 03:31:07 |
| Jeff Maisel and the purity law by John Ratcliffe on 2016-01-26 02:25:44 |
| Jeff Maisel and the purity law by barry on 2016-01-26 12:46:20 |
| Jeff Maisel and the purity law by John Ratcliffe on 2016-01-27 10:47:04 |