Favorite Reinheitsgebot beer?

Aarrg, I knew someone would ask me that. The short answer is nope, didn't take notes or footnote any of my research. Could've I suppose but then I would have to remember where I put them and days of ready recall are pretty distant in my mind's rear view mirror. I am at best an amateur historian (from the Latin term amator, one who is fond of the subject) and my work is analogous to the blind hog searching for acorns. Eventually I get there and uncover a nugget or two.

I believe historical accounts of the period disclose the internecine conflict between King William (I know his title was Duke but he was a King) and his brother over who would occupy the Bavarian throne effectively bankrupted them both. Of course Kings don't go into insolvency, they just tax or borrow their way out of it. KingW undoubtedly needed money at the time so it's plausible to say sweeping legislation that controlled the manufacture of a specific agricultural product had economic reasons as a driving motive. His self interest is also evident from the fact he exempted from the RHGB (abbreviated because I can never spell it correctly) the exclusive right for him and his heirs to continue making wheat beers which turned out to be a real money maker for the family for a very long time.

I don't think the RHGB was designed as any sort of health or food purity measure. I will put forward as a hypothesis Medieval rulers didn't give a rats patoot about the health and welfare of the peasants, concerned only with whether they were strong enough to raise crops and fight wars. Henry 111 comes to mind who, ignoring his advisors, skimped on military provisions to save money and managed to loose 40% of his army to disease and dysentery prior to the Battle of Crecy in 1346. He was smart enough to keep the long bowmen well fed though.

 

Well part of the reason I asked is related to the fact that there were recorded crop failures at about that time in Bavaria that were a result of weather and recorded flooding. (And since there was not high speed transporation network to import grains.) In addition there appear to be records in German of some Southern German towns passing pre-RHG laws, etc. governing the purity of ingredients going into beers, apparently because of abuses by Brewers.

So it seems quite likely that several circumstances all came together in the Bavarian RHG.

 

Professional brewers adulterating their product to make it more cheaply? For shame, whoever heard of such a thing.

 

"Purity" may simply mean made purely from the allowed ingredients.

 

Yes, but it can also mean that you remove the dead rats from the grain before you use it. Or that your government takes care to ensure a very low frequency/density of rat hairs in the bread you buy at the store.

 

Or a marketing term. In 1918 the German Parliament was struggling to come up with something, anything, to create products that could be sold internationally and help rebuild their economy devastated by WW1.

 

It's only $13 in my area, but I hope you're more forgiving with German beer than I am -- I'm pretty disappointed in this one (and I usually like Weihenstephan beers). It's very harshly bitter and near astringent on my palate. I have to wonder if the residual ingredients aren't adversely effected by Pasteurization for export.

 

Ayinger, Weihenstephaner, Paulaner, Erdinger, Heller, Schorschbrau, Schneider Weisse and Crew Republic.

 

Heady Topper.

 

My favorite, Korbinian.

 

Weihenstepher Original

To style, this beer is perfect

 

every Munich person I know says Weihenstephan Original is a bad Helles.

But then again, many of them think Augustiner or Tegernseer is the best Helles, which is definitely not true either

 

Augustine was my favorite from my visits to Munich. What is your favorite?

 

Weihenstephaner isn't a bad helles by a long shot. But I would put it on the second tier.

Here in the US, Augustiner is about the best we can get. My personal favorite is Traunsteiner, but that one is very limited in availability.

 

Or drink US craft brewed Helles beers if you can find them. Last evening I had a draft pint of Tired Hands Helles that I thought was very, very good!

Cheers!

 

My favourite Helles is Schlenkerla Lagerbier, but that one's not from the Munich area, so let's say...
Ayinger Jahrhundert, especially when gravity poured from the wooden barrel at Ayinger am Platzl.

Augustiner also exists from the wooden barrel (at Bratwurstglöckl am Dom) - much better than bottled, but still behind Jahrhundert.

It's by no means a bad beer, but for my palate, the sweetness is a bit too strong, making it bland. In any case, compared to their incredibly balanced and refreshing Weizen goodness, it feels quite uninspired.

 

At 5.5% ABV do you really consider Jahrhundert to be a Helles?

Wouldn't this be a more appropriate choice:




Lager Hell

Untergäriges, helles Vollbier

Alkoholgehalt: 4,9 %

Stammwürze: 11,8 °

Unser Klassiker mit verfeinerter Rezeptur zeichnet sich durch einen schönen, hellen Goldton aus. Nach anfänglicher leichter Malzigkeit entfaltet unser Lager Hell eine angenehme Hopfenbittere. Die sehr gute Rezenz und ein dezenter Abgang lassen eine kleine Spur an Bittere auf Zunge und Gaumen verbleiben. Ein vollmundiges, frisches und süffiges Bier.



Erhältlich in der 0,33-l-Vichy-, 0,5-l-Euro-Flasche,

30-l-Keg, 50-l-Keg

 

Fair point. I do, because I consider Helles, Dortmunder Export, and Spezial to be the same style. I don't find it very useful to apply scrutiny on +-0.5%, as long as the intended flavour profiles are the same (Helles being just an ε fresher and Spezial being an ε fuller and rounder), as long as it's not a Bock. After all, the intended flavour profiles are extremely similar considering the whole beer spectrum there is, and the borders are fuzzy anyway.

Ok, now if you force me to take out Jahrhundert, I still think Andechser and Ayinger Lager Hell are better than Augustiner (although I am not sure if they would win against a gravity pour Augustiner). But Schlenkerla plays in its own league.

EDIT: On the other hand, Schlenkerla might again be too low in ABV to be a Helles. In any case, these beers have more to do with each other than American Kölschs and Berliner Weisse have to do with Kölsch and Berliner Weisse

 

At this moment it is Ayingers Ur Weisse.

 

I already posted but of all the okoberfests ive had, and i buy all of them in season, Paulaner really does it best for me. The weisn is probably the cleanest beer ive ever had and the marzen is top notch.