The "Reichenhall purity law" for traditional beer is older than previously assumed

A sensational discovery of a beer ordinance in the archives by local historians

The Bad Reichenhall historian Dr Johannes Lang encountered a surprise as part of his document search on the history of urban development. A previously unknown ducal brewing order showed that the origin of the "Reichenhall purity law" was documented much earlier than previously known. The original documents found in the city archives of Munich and the Bavarian Main State Archives leave no doubt about that. According to it, the beer ordinance has been in effect since 1493.

The "Bavarian purity law" has been in effect since 1516

In 2016, the brewing industry was particularly interested in the 500th anniversary of the "Bavarian purity law". This legal norm is the oldest food legislation that is still valid. A corresponding beer and brewing ordinance already existed in cities such as Munich, Augsburg, Nuremberg or Landshut. No one knew that there was also one for Bad Reichenhall's beer until Dr Lang's discovery. From the original purity law documents for beer brewed in Bad Reichenhall that were found, precise specifications for the brewing process were discovered. It states: "Every brewer should use nothing else for the beer other than well-inspected and properly made malt, water and hops, according to the oath he has sworn."

Highly valued beer

The Bad Reichenhall beer ordinance was issued on 07.02.1493 by the Wittelsbach Duke, Georg von Bayern-Landshut. In it, he unequivocally expressed that in addition to the usual barley malt, wheat malt could also be used. Alternatively, seasoning alternatives were also allowed. The duke regulated not only the restriction to certain raw materials but also the procedure for quality control and beer marketing. This also included setting the city's beer price and the taxes to be paid. By extracting and processing the area's high-quality salt deposits, saline workers working in the salt works had to do a lot physically. To ensure they were adequately supplied with beverages, urban beer production was already of significant importance at that time.

An earlier founding date also applies to the Bürgerbräu private brewery

According to the historian's findings, the historical data must also be rewritten for Bad Reichenhall's alpine brewery Bürgerbräu. Thus, according to the old documents, Bad Reichenhall's location of the family brewery has not existed since 1633, but since 1494. The brewery was thus established shortly after the enactment of the purity law by the duke. The surprised owner of the renowned Alpine brewery, Christoph Graschberger, can now look forward to a new chapter in the company's history with enthusiasm.

Quality beer of great importance

This continuous development over the centuries also highlights the importance of Bad Reichenhall's quality beer - a reason for Graschberger's motivation and responsibility in continuing the successful local brewing culture. After all, for his discovery of Reichenhall's purity law, Bad Reichenhall's historian Dr Lang was honoured with the award "Goldene BierIdee 2017" (Golden Beer Idea). For further interesting details on the history of the beer and brewing culture in Bad Reichenhall, please refer to the brochure "Das Bier, das Salz und die Stadt" (Beer, Salt and the City) written by Dr Lang.