Editing Reinheitsgebot (section)

==1516 Bavarian law==
The most influential predecessor of the modern {{lang|de|Reinheitsgebot}} was a law first adopted in the Duchy of [[Bavaria-Munich]] in 1487. After [[History of Bavaria|Bavaria was reunited]], the Munich law was adopted across the entirety of Bavaria on 23 April 1516.<ref name=":3">{{Cite book|title = Munich: Hofbräuhaus & History: Beer, Culture, & Politics|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=-X4jgPG0360C&pg=PA10|publisher = Peter Lang|date =  2006|isbn = 9780820486062|first = Jeffrey S.|last = Gaab|page = 10}}</ref> As Germany unified, Bavaria pushed for adoption of this law on a national basis (see {{section link|#Broader adoption}}).

=== Ingredients permitted ===
[[File:Freshly picked hops.jpg|thumb|Hops]]
[[File:Barley.jpg|thumb|A field of barley]]

According to the 1516 Bavarian law, the only ingredients that could be used in the production of beer were [[water]], [[barley]] and [[hops]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.private-brauereien.de/de/reinheitsgebot/was-ist-das-reinheitsgebot-von-1516/index.php|title=Was ist das Reinheitsgebot von 1516? |publisher=Private Brauereien Bayern e.V.|access-date=22 December 2017|archive-date=23 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190523172949/http://www.private-brauereien.de/de/reinheitsgebot/was-ist-das-reinheitsgebot-von-1516/index.php|url-status=dead}}</ref> The text does not mention [[yeast]] as an ingredient, although yeast was at the time knowingly used in the brewing process. It is likely that brewers of the time preferred to see yeast as a fixture of the brewing process. Yeast produced in one batch was commonly transferred to a subsequent batch, thus giving yeast a more permanent character in the brewing process. A full understanding of the chemical basis of yeast and the fermentation process did not come until much later.

=== Other regulations ===
The 1516 Bavarian law set the price of beer (depending on the time of year and type of beer), limited the profits made by innkeepers, and made confiscation the penalty for making impure beer.

=== Text ===
The text (translated) of the 1516 Bavarian law is as follows:

{{quote|text=We hereby proclaim and decree, by Authority of our Province, that henceforth in the Duchy of Bavaria, in the country as well as in the cities and marketplaces, the following rules apply to the sale of beer:

From [[Michaelmas]] to [[Saint George's Day|Georgi]], the price for one {{lang|de|[[Maß|Mass]]}} [{{cvt|1,069|ml|imppt|disp=comma}}] or one {{lang|de|Kopf}} [bowl-shaped container for fluids, not quite one {{lang|de|Mass}}], is not to exceed one {{lang|de|Pfennig}} Munich value, and

From Georgi to Michaelmas, the {{lang|de|Mass}} shall not be sold for more than two {{lang|de|Pfennig}} of the same value, the {{lang|de|Kopf}} not more than three {{lang|de|Heller}} [one {{lang|de|Heller}} usually equals one-half {{lang|de|Pfennig}}].

If this not be adhered to, the punishment stated below shall be administered.

Should any person brew, or otherwise have, other beer than [[Märzen|March beer]], it is not to be sold any higher than one {{lang|de|Pfennig}} per {{lang|de|Mass}}.

Furthermore, we wish to emphasize that in future in all cities, market-towns and in the country, '''the only ingredients used for the brewing of beer must be Barley, Hops and Water.''' Whosoever knowingly disregards or transgresses upon this ordinance, shall be punished by the Court authorities' confiscating such barrels of beer, without fail.

Should, however, an innkeeper in the country, city or market-towns buy two or three pails of beer (containing 60 {{lang|de|Mass}}) and sell it again to the common peasantry, he alone shall be permitted to charge one {{lang|de|Heller}} more for the {{lang|de|Mass}} or the {{lang|de|Kopf}}, than mentioned above. Furthermore, should there arise a scarcity and subsequent price increase of the barley (also considering that the times of harvest differ, due to location), WE, the Bavarian Duchy, shall have the right to order curtailments for the good of all concerned.|source=Bavarian Reinheitsgebot of 1516 (emphasis added){{cite journal|last1=Eden|first1=Karl J.|title=History of German Brewing|journal=Zymurgy|date=1993|volume=16|issue=4|url=http://brewery.org/library/ReinHeit.html}}}}