German brewers worry fracking will compromise beer quality

 CBC News Posted: May 23, 2013 8:14 PM ET 

The Horror !!

German brewers are worried that fracking, the process of extracting natural gas from underground shale deposits, will jeopardize the quality of their beer by contaminating the water supply and have asked their government to hold off on passing the fracking regulations it has been drafting for months. Germany's Bild newspaper reported Thursday that the country's Brewers Federation sent a letter to six government ministers, including those responsible for health and the environment, asking them to delay the passing of legislation that would regulate hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, saying the law does not adequately protect the water supply their industry relies on. During the fracking process, a pressurized mix of water, sand and chemicals is injected into underground shale rock formations or coal beds to release trapped natural gas — or sometimes hard-to-reach oil. The technique has raised environmental concerns because of the large amount of water that is used, the risk of chemicals and waste water leaching into the ground and contaminating ground and drinking water, and the large amount of greenhouse gas emissions that are released. The German brewers say that fracking would violate the 500-year-old "purity law" (known as Reinheitsgebot) that has guaranteed that German beer is made with nothing but water, hops, malt and yeast. (more)