The Neuzelle Cloister Brewery (''Neuzeller Klosterbräu'') is located in

Neuzelle Neuzelle ( dsb, Nowa Cala) is a Municipalities of Germany, municipality in the Oder-Spree district of Brandenburg, Germany, the administrative seat of ''Amt (country subdivision), Amt'' (collective municipality) Neuzelle (Amt), Neuzelle. It is bes ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, and is best known for its Neuzeller "Anti-Aging-Bier". Helmut Fritsche purchased the Neuzeller brewery in 1992, which has been producing

beer Beer is one of the oldest and the most widely consumed type of alcoholic drink in the world, and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches, mainly derived from ce ...

commercially for over 400 years, and is situated on the grounds of a 12th-century Catholic

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone ( hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer whi ...

Neuzelle Abbey Neuzelle Abbey is a Cistercian monastery in Lower Lusatia, Germany, in the historic border region between Lower Lusatia and the March of Brandenburg. It is regarded as one of the most significant Baroque monuments in the North of Germany. The m ...

. The "Anti-Aging-Bier", which, in addition to the four cardinal ingredients of beer, adds spirulina and flavonoids in order to, supposedly, increase health and longevity, was first marketed in February 2004, and claims to have double the anti-oxidant effect of other beers. However, the German Beer Brewers' Association is not entirely willing to label these drinks beers, as their contents differ from those original

Reinheitsgebot The ''Reinheitsgebot'' (, literally "purity order") is a series of regulations limiting the ingredients in beer in Germany and the states of the former Holy Roman Empire. The best known version of the law was adopted in Bavaria in 1516 (by Will ...

ingredients. In 2004, the brewery was ordered to cease production of their product "Schwarzer Abt" or face a $25,000 fine, because the drink contained added sugar syrup it was in conflict with the beer purity law. The brewery had been brewing the dark beer with sugar syrup in

East Germany East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...

, which had been allowed under East Germany's permissive brewing laws. The brewery had not explicitly labelled it as beer, but as "A Specialty Made From Schwarzbier, With Invert Sugar Syrup Added Afterward". In 2003, the brewery changed the labelling to simply read "Schwarzbier". In 2005, a German court upheld the brewery's challenge to purity laws and allowed the brewery to add sugar syrup to "Schwarzer Abt" and label it as beer, ending the 10 year legal battle. The brewery also produces a locally successful

Schwarzbier , black beer, is a dark lager that originated in Germany. It has an opaque, black colour with hints of chocolate or coffee flavours, and is generally around 5% ABV. It is similar to stout in that it is made from roasted malt, which gives it its d ...

Pilsner Pilsner (also pilsener or simply pils) is a type of pale lager. It takes its name from the Bohemian city of Plzeň (german: Pilsen), where the world's first pale lager (now known as Pilsner Urquell) was produced in 1842 by Pilsner Urquell Bre ...

Bock Bock is a strong beer in Germany, usually a dark lager. Several substyles exist, including: *Doppelbock (''Double Bock''), a stronger and maltier version *Eisbock (''Ice Bock''), a much stronger version made by partially freezing the beer and ...

, cherry beer, energy beer, a beer specifically developed for

bathing Bathing is the act of washing the body, usually with water, or the immersion of the body in water. It may be practiced for personal hygiene, religious ritual or therapy, therapeutic purposes. By analogy, especially as a recreational activity, the ...

, and a berry-flavored soda used in making a Potsdamer.

References

External links

Neuzeller Kloster Brewery
Breweries in Germany {{Germany-company-stub