Franconian Beer Message Board
'mit schuss' is a Political Statement |
| Posted by JohnA on 2002-08-05 16:57:00 |
| While the stated purpose of the Rheinheitsgebot may have been to ensure beer purity, wasn't an ulterior motive to criminalize the small country breweries who were brewing with whatever they had on hand - malted and unmalted grains beyond barley, spices, etc? (Wasn't wheat beer illegal under the original Rheinheitsgebot?) - and thus reducing the revenue of the state brewery. That color beer thing is just crazy. First I thought it seemed where rule of law becomes tyranny of law. But it sounds like a case where a brewer wants a color-only addition without flavor and doesn't want the time/expense of say cold-steeping dark grains, or properly balancing the dark grain flavors. That's laziness at best, a profit-minded lack of soul most likely, and cheating at worst. Still, a rule that causes such contortions seems to have lost its real power. But can't the German brewers make and sell non-conforming beer now? Which would point to the marketing power of that R word. Either way, educated people will seek out the beer made from scratch and appreciate the brewer's greater skill at acheiving the same taste/color. Back to the wheat beer statement. As a beer tourist I have a hard time understanding it. Beer, food, art, etc are the kinds of things that should break down barriers between people. My neighbors like me better since I started giving them homebrewed beer. |
| Followups: |
 'mit schuss' is a Political Statement by Fred Waltman on 2002-08-05 17:34:27 |