On 23 April 1516 in the Bavarian city of Ingolstadt, German lawmakers signed into being the Reinheitsgebot, or “German Beer Purity Law.” The law’s aim was simple: define beer. The definition itself was quite simple: water, hops, and barley. (A little too simple, with the conspicuous absence of yeast, but cut the legislature some slack.

It would be nearly 300 years until Louis “The Milk Man” Pasteur pulled back the curtain on fermentation, frightening off all the pixies, elves, and little gods and goddesses who used to put the bite in our beer, and replacing them with microorganisms that can actually be seen. Boring.) And if wheat, stinking nightshade, or the classic Medieval flavor of soot was your additive of choice, well sir, you could be expecting a swift “cease and desist.”

Now, just shy of 500 years on from the Reinheitsgebot, the laws governing the production and sales of beer, both state and local, have proliferated to such a state they are greater in number and more convoluted in nature than Frank Zappa’s entire discography. And like Zappa’s catalog, there are some hits and some misses.

The 2004 repeal of the 1935 Georgia state law prohibiting the sale of beer having more than 6% ABV?

A hit! On the charts! With a bullet!

Sunday sales?

Well…

We here at the Cannon Brew Pub know and respect the laws that govern our trade. We do our best to keep up with every minute detail, each legislative addendum, all i’s dotted and all t’s crossed.

Sometimes, unfortunately, paperwork slips through the cracks. You understand. You’ve seen our floors. That Old World charm!

So here’s the deal: Our brewing capacity has momentarily paused, due to a slight oversight on our brewing license. This wrinkle should be ironed out by 1 March. There is still plenty of beer on tap, spirits on the shelves, and good food coming out of the kitchen, so just because Brewmeister Hank is “on break,” doesn’t mean you have to take one from Columbus’ finest hometown crafted beers.

Until next time, just keep crossing your eyes and dotting your tees (but drive safe!), and everything will be o-tay!

Prost!