Happy German Beer Day

🍺 Happy German Beer Day! 🍺

🍺 On April 23rd, 1516, Bavarian Dukes Wilhelm IV and Ludwig X enacted the "𝗥𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗵𝗲𝗶𝘁𝘀𝗴𝗲𝗯𝗼𝘁" (often called Purity Law (though "Gebot" is more of a decree than a law)) which regulated the ingredients for beer: water, barley, and hops. Yeast wasn't understood well at the time and was added later at the end of the 19th century as the 4th ingredient.

🍺 While the 𝗥𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗵𝗲𝗶𝘁𝘀𝗴𝗲𝗯𝗼𝘁 is said to be the oldest food safety law, there were other decrees before the one from 1516. The "𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗮 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗯𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮" from 1463 of the city of Weißensee, for example, regulated the ingredients of beer and as well as the price.

🍺 Fun Fact: Brewing beer used to be women's work just like any other work in the house and kitchen. When a woman brewed new beer, she'd invite the other women for a tasting, the so-called "𝗕𝗶𝗲𝗿-𝗞𝗿𝗮̈𝗻𝘇𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗻". It is said that the "𝗞𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗿𝗮̈𝗻𝘇𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗻", when women meet on a regular basis and have coffee and cake together, developed from the beer tasting meeting.