A Shot of Beer History #6 - The Irish Reinheitsgebot

In 1778 there were a series of brewing related acts passed in Ireland for 'the improvement of His Majesty's Revenue and the more effectually processing of the Frauds therin.' Of interest is what appears to be an Irish version of the Reinheitsgebot, the Bavarian purity law which dictated what could, or more importantly what could not, be included in the beers brewed there. The relevant Irish acts read as follows:

VIII. And be it further enacted by the authority afore said, That from and after the twenty fourth day of June one thousand seven hundred and seventy eight, no common or retailing brewer, or other retailer of beer or ale, shall make use of any madder, molosses[sic], sugar, honey or composition or extract of sugar, or make use of any broom, wormwood, gentian root, or any drug or herb, or of any ingredient whatsoever in the brewing, making, or working of any beer or ale, other than water, malt, hops, and barm; and that all beer or ale brewed or mixed with any ingredients other than water, malt, hops, and barm, shall be forfeited; and that every such common or retailing brewer, or other retailer of beer or ale offending therein shall forfeit for every such offence the sum of ten pounds.

IX. Provided that no penalty or forfeiture herein mentioned shall extend or be construed to extend to the infusing of broom, wormwood, ground ivy, or other ingredient into beer or ale by the retailer, after the same is brewed and tunned, for the purpose of making purl or jill, or broom or wormwood beer; or to the using any ingredient or ingredients necessary for the making of porter in making brewing the same.

So we can see that fines were to be levied onto brewers who used adjuncts in their brewing (a relatively common occurrence in the 18th century according to the scant recipes available at the time) as this would presumably have an effect on the tax revenue garnered from malt and hops, and it was probably enacted for that reason more so than any concerns regarding the quality of the beer or the risk of poisoning. The act did not apply to the brewing of porter (or if any adjuncts were added to other beers post brewing) so it could be brewed with whatever the brewer wanted to use.

If this act was never repealed* then there are quite a few Irish brewers that need to forfeit their beers and pay up that ten ponds, or its equivalent!

Liam K

* It was, see John reply below.

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