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28-11-2011, 10:15
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For those of us interested in the state of German brewing - me, Boak and Bailey and Robsterowski mainly - there is, in the Brewer's Guardian, a fascinating interview with American Brewer in Bavaria, gone not quite native, Eric Toft.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6eoFgiC2nEo/TtNYvT3dFtI/AAAAAAAAC_0/ENR-q5ZTfvo/s320/bavariasbest3_1.jpg (http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6eoFgiC2nEo/TtNYvT3dFtI/AAAAAAAAC_0/ENR-q5ZTfvo/s1600/bavariasbest3_1.jpg)Eric argues that German brewers have in effect led themselves and their customers up a blind alley of sameness, by interpreting the beer purity law in a singular and unwise way. He says in effect that there has been a gaderene rush to produce identical beers, dictated not by the Reinheitsgebot, but a lack of vision. He points out that "the Reinheitsgebot says nothing about what hop varieties and barley varieties and yeast strains you should use" and that "the Reinheitsgebot should be an inspiration to try and create within these so-called ‘confines". Like so many things in life, it isn't what you've got, but the way that you use itthat counts.

He has put this into effect in the brewery where he is Head Brewer, Privat Landbrauerei Schönram, (http://www.brauerei-schoenram.de/) a 55,000hl rural Bavarian brewery, by producing porters and IPAs alongside the more usual helles and pils, pointing out that particularly, these small scale experiments are well liked by women. (A separate issue, but yet another pointer that silly spritzer style beers for women are doomed to failure).

It is good to see this streak of common sense and adventure, albeit on a tiny scale, so let's hope he can convince more of his brewing colleagues and the wider drinking public in Germany.

Anything that shakes the German brewing industry out of its lethargy cannot be a bad thing. I say more power to his elbow.

The full interview with Eric Toft can be downloaded here. (http://www.brewersguardian.com/features/brewing-interviews/brewer-interview-toft/eric-toft-interview-brewers-guardian.html)https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8629758183547510158-3904952224229479247?l=tandlemanbeerblog.blogspot.c om


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