Germany's Beer Purity Law Turns 500 This Year

This year Germany celebrates the 500 year anniversary of Reinheitsgebot, also known as the "German Beer Purity Law". The original law was issued on April 23rd, 1516 by Bavarian co-rulers Duke Wilhem IV and Duke Ludwig X.

According to the medieval food-safety law, the only ingredients that could be used in the production of beer were water, barley, and hops. At the time, yeast had not yet been discovered. The law intended to keep beer "pure" of cheap and often unhealthy ingredients, such as poisonous roots, mushrooms, animals products, and sawdust. It also prevented the use of chemicals, preservatives, and artificial process enhancers. Introducing the law also helped to prevent price competition with bakers for wheat and rye. By excluding wheat and rye from beer and reserving it for bakers, the law helped to ensure a low price for bread.

Modern changes and exceptions have since been made to the law. Yeast was added to the list of acceptable ingredients. Bottom-fermented beer (lagers, pilsners, bocks) can now include powdered hops, ground hops, hops extracts, and fining agents. Top-fermented beers (ales, porters, stouts, wheat beers) can now include all the aforementioned ingredients, plus malt and sugars for flavor and coloring. Any beer brewed in Germany that does not follow the Reinheitsgebot can still be sold, just as long as it is not labeled as "bier". Overall, the intention of the original Reinheitsgebot was to ensure that all German breweries produced an all natural, wholesome, and flavorful product.

Even though the law is technically no longer in effect, many German brewmasters still adhere to the earlier versions of the Reinheitsgebot as a matter of German pride and tradition. Breweries that adhere to the Reinheitsgebot rely on the art and craft of their brewer to turn a short list of ingredients into a variety of beer styles. Til this day, the only beers permitted to be served at Oktoberfest in Munich are beers that adhere to the Reinheitsgebot.

To celebrate the 500 year anniversary of the Reinheitsgebot, Hofbräuhaus is throwing a huge party on Saturday, April 23rd! Check out the videos we created for them to help promote this celebration of German beer and tradition.

Britny Sanders
Marketing Coordinator
614.294.1306
bsanders@vitalcompanies.com

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Mariel Hemingway Visits New Albany to Talk Mental Illness

In October 2015, The New Albany Community Foundation hosted actress, author, and mental health advocate Mariel Hemingway for a two day visit with students, community members and mental health professionals. Mariel Hemingway is the granddaughter of iconic American writer, Ernest Hemingway. In Mariel's latest memoir, Out Came the Sun, she talks about her childhood and the tragic legacy of mental illness, suicide, addiction, and depression in the Hemingway family. Mariel has dedicated her life to promoting a healthy lifestyle, physically and mentally, and to raising awareness of mental illness. 
Suicide is on the rise among young people in Central Ohio and New Albany is not immune. By including Mariel Hemingway in their Jefferson Series of speakers, the community of New Albany brought mental health issues to the forefront. 
We are honored to have had the opportunity to interview Mariel along with many other community leaders. Watch the video we created above to learn more about Healthy New Albany and Mariel's visit to New Albany. 

"One thing I'd like to say about mental illness, is that I want to take the 'i' out of illness, put in 'we' and create wellness. And wellness is a 'we'. It's a community. It's about all of us coming together as a community and making a difference."  - Mariel Hemingway
Britny Sanders Marketing Coordinator bsanders@vitalcompanies.com (614) 294-1306
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Our Year in Review: 2015

We took some time to reflect on some of our favorite moments and projects from this past year:

If you had to describe your 2015 in 3 words, what would they be?

"Reinventing, creative, growth, and process...Sorry, I know it's 4." 
- Fred Blitzer, CEO & Managing Partner

"Partnership, connection, vision."
- Jason Clayton, Chief Marketing Officer & Managing Partner


What project from this past year did you enjoy working on the most?

"The project I enjoyed working on the most this past year was for the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission. In October, MORPC presented the 2015 Green Collaborative Achievement Award to the Friends of the Lower Olentangy Watershed (FLOW) and we were honored to create a video to show how much they do to continue to keep the Olentangy River safe and clean. Our production team had a lot of fun with this project. We were able to finally use our new RED Cinema Camera to film at different locations along the Olentangy River, which in turn created one of our most stunning video pieces last year." 
- Laura Leggett, Sr. Media Manager

"I really enjoyed working on the Mansfield - OhioHealth video this past year. On that shoot I had the chance to roam around a historic downtown with a camera on a slider, and capture some of the essence of Mansfield...and I got really lucky with people, motorcycles, and most importantly the weather. But beyond the B roll, it also marked the last video I had fully edited before handing over the senior editing reigns to our new hired editor, John Chapel."
- Chris Kost, Creative Director

Top 3 favorite photos that you took this past year?

"Chappy is obviously my muse." 
- John Thorne, Director of Photography

Q&A With Steph Greegor

Steph Greegor is a director, writer, and producer based in Columbus, Ohio. Vital will be co-producing her sophomore directorial effort, a short suspense/drama film called "Nellie", set for production in March 2016. We got a chance to ask her a few questions about "Nellie" and her love for filmmaking.

Greegor on the set of "Olsky"

Grandview Chamber Wins Award for Marketing Campaign

The Ruby Awards are presented each year by the Ohio Travel Association and Ohio Magazine. It stands for "Recognizing Uncommon Brilliance" in the travel industry, and what they consider to be "creative genius." The Grandview Chamber of Commerce won the Marketing Campaign category for their "Chamber Challenge" and were the only chamber among statewide travel and tourism organizations to have won!

A Librarian's Generous Gift

Every year, we create a video for the Columbus Metropolitan Library Foundation's annual Celebration of Learning event. This year, the event was held at the new Whitehall Branch located on East Broad Street, which opened in April 2015. 

The new branch offers an expanded Homework Help Center, a drive-up window, more than 70 public computers, touchscreen TVs and iPads, a fireplace, a recording studio, five meeting rooms, and more.

A unique feature of the Whitehall branch is the Carol Snowden Children's Room.