Vitamalz
Encyclopedia
Vitamalz viːtaˈmaːlts is a German
malt beer
without alcohol
.
The beer itself is of dark brown color. It almost looks like cola
, though it develops a light brown foam
.
Due to the German beer purity law or Deutsches Reinheitsgebot
, first established in 1516) Vitamalz cannot be sold in Germany as beer. It must be called malt drink (in German: Malztrunk). The colloquial name is Dunkelbier (dark beer) or Kinderbier (children's beer) in some areas of Germany and Austria
.
, barley
malt, glucose
syrup, carbonic acid
, food coloring
E150c and hop
s. It does not contain alcohol
. According to the bottle, it should be consumed within one year of purchase. The website claims it has about as many calories as an orange juice; in fact, at 43 kcal per 100 ml, it is about on par with both alcoholic lager
and most soft drink
s with added sugar.
The company recommends it for young people and pregnant women because of its nutrition
al value. Unfortunately, no information on said value can be found, other than the fact that it contains several B-Vitamins which support the metabolism
and that it gives lots of energy to the body.
s.
managed to retrieve vitamin B1 from yeast
cells
in 1920, Ferdinand Glaab had the idea for a new kind of beer: Malt
Beer.
It was not until 1931 however until it was actually produced, when the Seligenstadt
brewery
Glaabsbräu purchased the patented recipe from the Vitalux company. The new beer was called "Vitamalz".
In 1966, the brand "Vitamalz" was patented.
Since 1970, when the licenser Glaabsbräu F. Glaab & Co. founded together with other breweries the Vitamalz Group, whereas each member works with the same recipe, 13 breweries have joined the production of Vitamalz. Vitamalz has been the leader on the German malt beer market since 1980, with hardly any commercials running for it. In 2000, Vitamalz started a campaign with a German offering Vitamalz to various Americans, who responded "Ah, Cola!", whereas he replied "Nix Cola, Vitamalz!". In those spots, they were all pleaseantly surprised by the taste. They stopped airing after running for about a year.
Vitamalz has been sponsoring the "Vitamalz Cup" (a women's bicycle tournament, which has evolved into the German National Championship), and a basketball competition called "Monsterdunks".
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
malt beer
Malzbier
Malzbier is a form of sweet, low-alcohol beer that is brewed like normal beer but without fermentation by adding the yeast at or about 0 °C. CO2 and sugar is added later. It's a common beverage in Germany, Austria and Switzerland...
without alcohol
Alcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
.
Miscellaneous
Vitamalz comes in brown 0.33l or 0.5l bottles. The logo shows six circles in decreasing size with a color gradient going from dark blue to red to white, featured on a yellow background.The beer itself is of dark brown color. It almost looks like cola
Cola
Cola is a carbonated beverage that was typically flavored by the kola nut as well as vanilla and other flavorings, however, some colas are now flavored artificially. It became popular worldwide after druggist John Pemberton invented Coca-Cola in 1886...
, though it develops a light brown foam
Foam
-Definition:A foam is a substance that is formed by trapping gas in a liquid or solid in a divided form, i.e. by forming gas regions inside liquid regions, leading to different kinds of dispersed media...
.
Due to the German beer purity law or Deutsches Reinheitsgebot
Reinheitsgebot
The Reinheitsgebot , sometimes called the "German Beer Purity Law" or the "Bavarian Purity Law" in English, was a regulation concerning the production of beer in Germany. In the original text, the only ingredients that could be used in the production of beer were water, barley and hops...
, first established in 1516) Vitamalz cannot be sold in Germany as beer. It must be called malt drink (in German: Malztrunk). The colloquial name is Dunkelbier (dark beer) or Kinderbier (children's beer) in some areas of Germany and Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
.
Ingredients
Vitamalz contains waterWater
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
, barley
Barley
Barley is a major cereal grain, a member of the grass family. It serves as a major animal fodder, as a base malt for beer and certain distilled beverages, and as a component of various health foods...
malt, glucose
Glucose
Glucose is a simple sugar and an important carbohydrate in biology. Cells use it as the primary source of energy and a metabolic intermediate...
syrup, carbonic acid
Carbonic acid
Carbonic acid is the inorganic compound with the formula H2CO3 . It is also a name sometimes given to solutions of carbon dioxide in water, because such solutions contain small amounts of H2CO3. Carbonic acid forms two kinds of salts, the carbonates and the bicarbonates...
, food coloring
Food coloring
Food coloring is a substance, liquid or powder, that is added to food or drink to change its color. Food coloring is used both in commercial food production and in domestic cooking...
E150c and hop
Hop (plant)
Humulus, Hop, is a small genus of flowering plants native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The female flowers of H. lupulus are known as hops, and are used as a culinary flavoring and stabilizer, especially in the brewing of beer...
s. It does not contain alcohol
Alcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
. According to the bottle, it should be consumed within one year of purchase. The website claims it has about as many calories as an orange juice; in fact, at 43 kcal per 100 ml, it is about on par with both alcoholic lager
Lager
Lager is a type of beer made from malted barley that is brewed and stored at low temperatures. There are many types of lager; pale lager is the most widely-consumed and commercially available style of beer in the world; Pilsner, Bock, Dortmunder Export and Märzen are all styles of lager...
and most soft drink
Soft drink
A soft drink is a non-alcoholic beverage that typically contains water , a sweetener, and a flavoring agent...
s with added sugar.
The company recommends it for young people and pregnant women because of its nutrition
Nutrition
Nutrition is the provision, to cells and organisms, of the materials necessary to support life. Many common health problems can be prevented or alleviated with a healthy diet....
al value. Unfortunately, no information on said value can be found, other than the fact that it contains several B-Vitamins which support the metabolism
Metabolism
Metabolism is the set of chemical reactions that happen in the cells of living organisms to sustain life. These processes allow organisms to grow and reproduce, maintain their structures, and respond to their environments. Metabolism is usually divided into two categories...
and that it gives lots of energy to the body.
Taste
Due to its containing brewing water, barley malt and hop, the taste of malt beer is related to that of alcohol-free lager; however it is notably sweeter, dominated by the glucose syrup which is extracted from, and adds a flavour of, sugar beetSugar beet
Sugar beet, a cultivated plant of Beta vulgaris, is a plant whose tuber contains a high concentration of sucrose. It is grown commercially for sugar production. Sugar beets and other B...
s.
History
After the scientist Fritz Lux from WeihenstephanWeihenstephan
Weihenstephan is a part of Freising north of Munich, Germany.Weihenstephan is known for:* the site of one of the three campuses of the Technische Universität München , namely the one for life sciences* the Fachhochschule Weihenstephan...
managed to retrieve vitamin B1 from yeast
Yeast
Yeasts are eukaryotic micro-organisms classified in the kingdom Fungi, with 1,500 species currently described estimated to be only 1% of all fungal species. Most reproduce asexually by mitosis, and many do so by an asymmetric division process called budding...
cells
Cell (biology)
The cell is the basic structural and functional unit of all known living organisms. It is the smallest unit of life that is classified as a living thing, and is often called the building block of life. The Alberts text discusses how the "cellular building blocks" move to shape developing embryos....
in 1920, Ferdinand Glaab had the idea for a new kind of beer: Malt
Malt
Malt is germinated cereal grains that have been dried in a process known as "malting". The grains are made to germinate by soaking in water, and are then halted from germinating further by drying with hot air...
Beer.
It was not until 1931 however until it was actually produced, when the Seligenstadt
Seligenstadt
Seligenstadt is a town in the Offenbach district in the Regierungsbezirk of Darmstadt in Hesse, Germany. Seligenstadt is one of Germany’s oldest towns and was already of great importance in Carolingian times.-Location:...
brewery
Brewery
A brewery is a dedicated building for the making of beer, though beer can be made at home, and has been for much of beer's history. A company which makes beer is called either a brewery or a brewing company....
Glaabsbräu purchased the patented recipe from the Vitalux company. The new beer was called "Vitamalz".
In 1966, the brand "Vitamalz" was patented.
Since 1970, when the licenser Glaabsbräu F. Glaab & Co. founded together with other breweries the Vitamalz Group, whereas each member works with the same recipe, 13 breweries have joined the production of Vitamalz. Vitamalz has been the leader on the German malt beer market since 1980, with hardly any commercials running for it. In 2000, Vitamalz started a campaign with a German offering Vitamalz to various Americans, who responded "Ah, Cola!", whereas he replied "Nix Cola, Vitamalz!". In those spots, they were all pleaseantly surprised by the taste. They stopped airing after running for about a year.
Vitamalz has been sponsoring the "Vitamalz Cup" (a women's bicycle tournament, which has evolved into the German National Championship), and a basketball competition called "Monsterdunks".