Beer Purity Law 500th anniversary festival

This one-off festival will celebrate 500 years of the Bavarian Reinheitsgebot - Beer Purity Law.

TIME TO CELEBRATE: There will be a three-day festival to celebrate 500 years
of the Bavarian Reinheitsgebot - Beer Purity Law

In Bavaria, beer is much more than just a yummy alcoholic beverage - it’s a way of life. Not only is Munich is the birthplace of the beer garden and the world-famous Oktoberfest, the region is home to more breweries than anywhere else in Europe.
Bavarians will even tell you that beer is their flüssiges Brot (liquid bread) and a pint or two on a regular basis is considered to be part of a healthy diet. So it’s no wonder that the good people of Munich are planning something huge to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Reinheitsgebot (Bavarian Beer Purity Law), which rolls around in 2016.
And what better way to mark the occasion than with three days of beer drinking, dancing and general merry-making in the glorious open-air surrounds of two of Munich’s main streets? Park your bags, beer lovers, and book your passage now - this is going to be big.

Why all the fuss?

KEEPING IT CLEAN: It's the Reinheitsgebot that has kept
German beer so fresh and pure for 500 years.

The Beer Purity Law is known as the world’s first ever food safety law. It was introduced by  Duke Wilhelm IV and his brother Ludwig X on April 23, 1516 to make sure beer was affordable and pure. Only water, barley and hops were henceforth allowed to be used in beer production.

The law had the desired effect of stopping breweries competing with bakers for wheat and rye, which had been pushing up the price of bread. It also put paid to potentially dangerous ingredients such as bark, moss and soot being thrown into the brew (they had often been used as preservatives).
To this day, Bavarian beer is world famous for its high quality, and that’s thanks to the Beer Purity Law.  The regulation survives in an altered form, known as the Vorläufiges Biergesetz (Provisional Beer Law) of 1993.

So where’s the party at?

The festival will take place on Friday, July 22 from midday to 11pm, July 23 from 10am to midnight and July 24 from 11am to 8pm. Proceedings will start with a tapping of the first keg at Odeonsplatz on midday on the Friday. Odeonsplatz, Ludwig Strasse, Brienner Strasse and Wittelsbacher Platz will be filled with beer tents, amusements and stalls where visitors will be able try libations from 125 different Bavarian breweries.

Draught beer will be served in 300ml souvenir glasses, which you will be able to keep for €3. Most beer will also cost €3, so your first beer will be €6, then you can just asking for refills and take the glass home at the end of the day.
There will also be plenty of traditional Bavarian food on offer, including Obatzte (cheese spread), Schäufele (pork shoulder), and Weisswurst (white sausage). Three large stages will host Bavarian folk bands as well as Dixieland, rhythm and blues, swing and big bands.

There will also be whip crackers, traditional costume dancers and the historic dance of the coopers (barrel makers). Admission will be free.
Download the official brochure (in English and German) here.

THANKS: If it wasn't for the Bavarain Beer Purity Law, we wouldn't have this...

The details

The festival will take place at Odeonsplatz, Ludwig Strasse, Brienner Strasse
and Wittelsbacher Platz .

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