Beer
According to the 1516 "Reinheitsgebot" (German Beer Purity Law) the only ingredients that could be used in the brewing process of beer are water, barley and hops. In time, yeast was added as the 4th legal ingredient. Until 1993, the purity law remained in effect until the EU decommonisioned it as being 'incompatible' with the European common market. Nevertheless, most German brewers still abide by the Reinheitsgebot.
There are more than 1,200 breweries in Germany, producing some 5,000
different beers on tap. How many have you tried?
Southern Germany is home of the Weizen or "white beer", a light,
highly effervescent, top-fermented beer, slightly cloudy due to the yeast.
The oldest brewery in Germany and supposedly, the oldest still functioning brewery in the world, is the Weihenstephan Brewery in Freising, Bavaria, just north of Munich.
