E-Malt.com News article: Germany: German brewers trying to get round beer purity laws by using new specially flavoured hops

German beer makers have managed to get round beer purity laws that ban additional flavourings by creating specially flavoured hops that taste of mandarin, melon, gooseberry and glacier ice, German Herald reported on March, 24.

Strict German beer quality laws known as the Reinheitsgebot mean that only water, barley and hops can be used in making beer. Adding anything else means the product cannot be sold as beer.

But now German brewers have got round the problem by creating naturally scented hops and the countries strict beer quality controllers have provisionally given the go-ahead for the use of a new type of hop in beer.

The new hops have already been planted according to a spokesman for the Association for research into hops (GfH) in Wolnzach, Germany.

GfH Boss Bernhard Engelhard said: "They are natural aromas in the hops and therefore don't breach the quality rules. We have already tried making some be using them and it tastes fantastic and very different. The beer produced this year will be for a provisional test market but at the latest by 2013 the hops will be available to the breweries at least in a limited amount."

He said that they had not really knowing what they would get when they started looking to create hops with natural flavourings but that the gooseberry, honey melon and mandarin titles perfectly matched the flavour they had created. He said the fourth scented hop had been difficult to categorise but after numerous discussions they have decided glacier ice best summed up the fresh vital feeling that drinking the beer gave.


28 March, 2012