Franconian Beer Message Board

Back to the main page
Back to parent post

'mit schuss' is a Political Statement

Posted by Fred Waltman on 2002-08-05 13:45:33

Thats a tough one. I don't believe the Rheinheitsgebot should be slavishly followed. I understand where it comes from, but there are too many good beers that fall outside of it. The sucrose in a Belgian triple helps them fit a particular flavor profile -- but then again so does the rice in Coors and (American) Budweiser. I do think that all of the ingredients should be listed on the label (or otherwise easily available to to public) so that consumes can make an informed decision. In this the EU is way ahead of the US. (Noe: the other forum John refers to, the Burgundian Babble Belt mention in the header to this board, the discussion was provoked by new labels on Chimay that listed malt extract and hop extract as ingredients.) German brewers have their own way around things. When we toured the Weyermann malting plant, one of their big products was a "color beer" -- it is technically a very dark brewed (and fermented beer) that has been concentrated. It is fully legal and allows the brewer to make the beer just about any color without changing the flavor. Exactly like the caramel color that makes CocaCola brown. I think that is a bit on the shady side.

'mit schuss' is a Political Statement by JohnA on 2002-08-05 16:57:00

'mit schuss' is a Political Statement by Fred Waltman on 2002-08-05 17:34:27