Tons of interesting stuff -- from the Stone Brewing Co. web site -- a really good source of
interesting stuff!
There are only four legitimate ingredients (water,
barley, hops & yeast) allowed in beer according to the Bavarian Purity Law of 1516, known as "Reinheitsgebot." This law
is commonly accepted to be the world's first "consumer protection" law. The exception to the rule is wheat, which is used
in making a hefeweizen (German wheat beer --- pronounced "hay-fa-vitsen").
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Almost every single one of the beers you grew up with in the US
adds adjuncts (rice and/or corn) to their beer to make it lighter and less aggressive in flavor, in order to appeal to the
masses.
Quoting from the spring 1997 newsletter from the Mendocino Brewing
Company: "In this country (USA), it is legal for a brewery to introduce up to 48 additives and 4 adjuncts, and still call
its beer "Pure," --- and fourteen carat gold must be not less than twelve carats. Go figure."
According to the Institute for Brewing Studies (IBS), the term
"Microbrewery" is commonly accepted in the brewing community as designating a brewery that produces less than 15,000 barrels
of beer annually.
Most microbreweries do not have a pub or a restaurant, and concentrate solely on brewing.
The term "Microbrewery" is not a legal definition, and as such, the world's largest breweries could legally
advertise themselves as "Microbreweries."
There are some contract brewed brands --- that have no brewery
of their own --- that market themselves as a "Microbrewery."
From www.stonebrew.com
