If your looking for a good excuse to open up a nice cold beer tonight, make it a German one to celebrate the 499th anniversary of the German beer purity law of 1516, known as the Reinheitsgebot.
Every April 23, Germans proclaim the day German Beer Day to commemorate the beer that Germany is known for around the world.
The Reinheitsgebot is the longest lasting food quality law still in use today, and it requires that German beer be made only from three ingredients: water, hops and barley malt.
While the Reinheitsgebot is still the standard used by most German brewers today, there have been slight modifications made to the law that have allowed some additional ingredients to be added. Still, there are some beer enthusiasts that insist on sticking with the nearly 500 year tradition.
So sit back and enjoy a German beer tonight, and if you can, find a brew that sticks to the 1516 formula for excellence.
Photo: Simon Wicks [Flickr]
