I was describing how to brew Belgian beer to one of the guys I met on the German homebrewer forum.
rough translation:
Me “Strong Belgian beers use between 10 and 20% sugar.”
Him “Sugar? Like, table sugar? White sugar.”
Me “Exactly.”
Him “But, that’s against the law!”
Me “Then don’t tell the police!”
It’s really crazy to me how even German homebrewers take the Reinheitsgebot seriously. He also has a haze problem, (I suspect) because he never uses Irish Moss or any other clarifiers. He does have an amazing HERMS BK/MLT system with like, ropes and pulleys and stuff, though.
I don’t know about arresting someone for using adjunct, but in my taste buds opinion the best beer is made with water, barley, hops, and one other thing can’t remember right now.
“Freedom is temporary unless you are also Brave!” - Patriot
It’s all in good fun (blödsinn erzählen). He makes fun of my pronunciation (he thinks the way I say “deer” is hilarious), and I make fun of his fear of adjuncts. Also, he’d never heard of an “IPA” before today, so I had to give him s*** for that too.
I think the discipline that Reinheitsgebot has instilled is a beautiful thing. Not to mention the fact, that I also really love a well brewed Dopplebock or a fresh Pilsner. On the other hand, the pioneers of American Brewing from the past and present day are heros of mine as well. Thinking/brewing outside of the box is the heart and soul of homebrewing.
Laws or no laws, I think Belgian beer is way better than what the Germans make. In my opinion. Except those assholes make Dunkel. I love me some Dunkel.
That said, I do agree that rules are made to be broken.
And anyway, while some clowns are brewing beer with goat balls or shellfish, fotrunately there are still brewers around who don’t feel a pressing need to partake in the growing fad of pushing the envelope with weird stuff (or, for that matter, overdoing it with regular stuff).
Craft beer in Germany is still in its infancy. There are some guys doing some really cool stuff there, but you’d never find those beers in America. One of my Skype friends in Rostock told me about: http://www.stoertebeker.com
With the new hop varieties coming out of Germany, mixed with the amount of brewing expertise there, I think German craft beer has the potential to take off.
No arguments. I don’t defend s@#$$y beer from anywhere. But being able to dry hop or use Belgian sugar syrups allows for beers the Germans don’t make. But I’ll NEVER bad mouth a Pils, Dunkel, Dort, Helles, Dunkelweisse, Bock, Dopplebock, and damn sure not a BoPils. Love 'em.
