This brewery was pretty nice and is part of a large chain that is found internationally. I was staying in Norfolk, VA, but decided to drive over to Virginia Beach for an evening. It was around 95 degrees and very hot, but the sun was warm and there was a cool breeze. What did this mean? I was in the mood for a wheat beer of course!
Gordon Biersch brews (almost) all of their beer according to Reinheitsgebot1 which is also known as the German/Bavarian purity law. This law dictated that only four ingredients [barley, hops, yeast, and water] should be used in the making of this beer. The law was needed in the 15th century as beer was a very lucrative business and people were making it from fish bladder, tree bark, eggs, and other potentially poisonous things1.More correctly, Gordon Biersch is compliant with Biergesetz, not the purity laws because they make a wheat beer (thank god!) and wheat was forbidden by Reinheitsgebot. A wheat beer is considered to be 30-70% wheat and the rest is barley malt 1.
Barley was the only grain allowed because wheat and rye were reserved for the bakers and this made the cost of ingredients for them to go down (medieval lobbyists at their best).
Complience to this law is a big selling point as there are a number of breweries in America that use non-standard ingredients.
All that aside, they had great beer and my favorite there was the one that didn't comply with the purity law. I would definitely visit this brewery again if it is in a city that I am in.
Gordon Biersch
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