Favorite Reinheitsgebot beer?

It was not specifically my intention to "force" you here. It just seemed to me that since Ayinger makes a Helles of 4.9% ABV that might be the 'better' Ayinger choice for a Helles?

Cheers!

 

Paulaner Hefeweizen and Salvator

 

I'm honestly surprised with how German focused this thread is. As long as a beer is malt, hops, water, and yeast, it's brewed according to the RHG.

On the German end of the spectrum I'd squarely put Aventinus at the top, and on the non-German side I'd put something like Night Shift Santilli or Zombie Dust. As long as there aren't adjuncts in there, it's a RHG compliant beer, this means many (not all!...but many) popular IPAs and whatnot work in that regard. They just aren't traditionally what you'd think of.

 

Please let me live with my illusions.

 

That is indeed the 'bulk' of the definition. When it comes to brewing their are other nuances. For example their is frequently the need to maintain a proper mash pH during brewing and their are rules via the RHG on how you achieve this aspect. You can't use chemical lactic acid but you can use other methods to achieve the equivalent of this. For quite some time the RHG did not permit dry hopping but at some point it was permitted. Within the RHG you can use clarifiers (e.g., Polyclar) as long as it is filtered out of the beer before it gets packaged beer.

Yup, lots of rules.

Cheers!

 

If anybody is looking for an excuse to enjoy the Purity Law, mark April 23rd on your calendar; it is the 500th Anniversary.

 

I like the German beers, but my main problem is freshness. Even fest beers in season are how old? Bottled in July or so and on the shelf in Sept / Oct, and might that July bottling date be generous? I'll stick to the fresher American versions that are weeks out not months. You have to hunt and peck to find them but Mectoberfest from Old Mecklenburg blows the imported Fest stuff out of the water. Fresh counts and always stored cold

 

I gotta agree with you.. and I usually am forgiving on account of how much I love German beer. Probably the least enjoyable Weihenstephaner I've tried yet (and I'm pretty sure I've tried all of them). Welp, you win some you lose some

 

Currently Ayinger Jahrhundert, I also like König Pilsener and wish I could find it on draft in Oregon

 

Weihenstephaner Kristallweissbier. If there is anything more beautiful in the (#Proper) glass, I haven't seen it.

 

Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier - Fastenbier

 

This year it was Weihenstaphaner 1516