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> I'm not sure why Germany has the reputation as making great beers. German brewers of mass-produced beer still stuck to the requirements of the German beer pu
by Mediterraneo10 7y ago
> I'm not sure why Germany has the reputation as making great beers.
German brewers of mass-produced beer still stuck to the requirements of the German beer purity law when elsewhere, such as in the USA, brewers were putting rice and maize into their beer to cut costs.
- m0zg 7y agoAs a brewer myself, it's not always to cut costs. Some of the best IPAs available legitimately require oatmeal in the mash (mash is the grain combined with hot water at a precise temperature to allow enzymes to extract and convert the sugars). In this case it's not done to cut cost, it improves the beer. Mass produced stuff like Budweiser isn't really beer IMO. It's something else entirely.
- Mediterraneo10 7y agoYou are right of course that some added ingredients beyond barley, hops, yeast, and water can lead to good beers. The German beer purity law is too restrictive in that no added sugar is permitted, while this is a major part of the Belgian tradition. However, rice and maize are not those kind of ingredients.