Brandenburg beer war
A long-standing legal dispute between the Neuzelle monastery brewery and the state government of Brandenburg became known as the Brandenburg Beer War . The subject of the dispute was the question of whether the "Black Abbot", a black beer that is traditionally brewed with a sugar content (up to 2% invert sugar syrup ) and thus violates the German purity law, may be marketed as "beer" in Germany .
According to a ruling by the European Court of Justice in the 1980s, foreign breweries in Germany are also allowed to sell beer as "beer" that does not comply with the purity law, i.e. contains other ingredients in addition to malt , hops , yeast and water. This does not apply to beers brewed in Germany, unless they are recognized as “special beer” (not defined in more detail) by a special permit. After the beer law came into effect in the new federal states in 1993, the Neuzeller monastery brewery submitted a corresponding application, which was rejected because only sugar, but not spices or similar, was added to the black beer .
The brewery was unwilling to follow this judgment and a number of legal proceedings resulted. After the term “beer” was temporarily dispensed with on the labels of the “black abbot”, the brewery began to label the drink as “black beer” again in 2003. After a leap revision to the Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig , the final judgment was issued at the beginning of 2005, which approved the Neuzelle brewery. The responsible judge Hans-Joachim Driehaus concluded the hearing with the words “The Black Abbot is a special beer. It can be brewed and also sold under the name 'beer'. We wish you continued drinking enjoyment. "