CINCINNATI – Malt. Hops. Yeast. Water. Five hundred years later and it’s still the purist way to make a beer.

Christian Moerlein — the first American beer to certifiably pass the Reinheitsgebot German Beer Purity Law — is celebrating the 500th anniversary of the founding of the well-known law with a new beer for its core lineup!

The new brew is one of Moerlein’s three new core beers in addition to Third Wave IPA and OTR Ale.

The can design harkens back to the German brewers of 1516 who wrote down the famous Bavarian beer purity law that came to be known as the Reinheitsgebot.

Purity Pilsner is a northern German style Pilsner that features a light golden color with a slightly bitter, hop-forward taste and aroma.

“Our brewery wanted to brew a Reinheitsgebot pure beer to celebrate both the 500th anniversary of the German purity law and Christian Moerlein’s contribution as being the first American beer to certifiably pass the Reinheitsgebot during the early stages of the craft beer revolution,” said Greg Hardman owner of Christian Moerlein Brewing Company. “Christian Moerlein Purity Pils is a tribute to that great Reinheitsgebot brewing tradition,” continued Hardman.

The can reads:

“Reinheitsgebot! It’s the law, the German Beer Purity Law of 1516. Nothing but malt, hops, yeast, and water. Christian Moerlein was the first American beer to certifiably pass the German Purity Law known as the Reinheitsgebot. Today, Moerlein Purity Pils is brewed to those standards – serving up a clean and refreshing full-bodied taste with a hoppy, lemon zest aroma.”

Purity Pilsner is available on draft and in 6-pack cans. It weighs in at 5.5% ABV and 40 IBUs.

About Christian Moerlein Brewing Company:

The brewery established in 1853 by Christian Moerlein, a German immigrant that prospered as a world renowned master brewer was located in the Brewery District of Over-The-Rhine, Cincinnati, USA. Today Christian Moerlein Brewing Company brews a wide range of craft beers and was the first American beer to pass the German Purity Law of 1516 known as the reinheitsgebot, which states only malt, hops, yeast and water can be used in the brewing of beer. Christian Moerlein is also one of the pioneer brands of today’s craft beer movement and first began selling “better beer”, a precursor of the craft category, in 1981 through the Hudepohl Brewing Company of Cincinnati. Since 2004, Christian Moerlein Brewing Co. has been owned by Gregory Hardman, a greater Cincinnati resident that has been credited with reviving Cincinnati’s grand brewing traditions and current craft beer movement. Christian Moerlein beer is brewed in Cincinnati at both the Moerlein Lager House and its craft beer production brewery in Cincinnati’s Over-the-Rhine Brewery District.

The Moerlein Lager House, which opened in February of 2012 is located in the Smale Riverfront Park, has 28,000 square foot of floor space, a functioning 5,000 barrel capacity brewery with over 800 seats for diners, has two beer gardens that can handle an additional 600 guests (total capacity with beer gardens over 1,400), and boasts 360-degree views of the Cincinnati skyline including the Ohio River, Roebling Suspension Bridge, Great American Ballpark (home to the Cincinnati Reds) and Paul Brown Stadium (home to the Cincinnati Bengals). The Moerlein Lager House has become a premier destination for craft beer enthusiasts and is a tribute to Cincinnati’s grand brewing traditions and its famed 19th century brewer, Beer Baron Christian Moerlein.