Mastered by 12th and 13th C. monks and often practiced at home, the German brewing tradition is among the strongest in the world. In fact, Germans were the first to incorporate hops into their beer — and there’s even a German Beer Purity Law, or ‘Reinheitsgebot,’ which states that only water, barley, hops, and yeast may be used to produce beer. Popular German beer styles (many of Bavarian origin) include Berliner Weissbier, Dunkelweizen, Gose, Hefeweizen, Kölsch, Bock, Doppelbock, Pilsner, Maibock, Märzen, Munich Dunkel, Munich Helles, and Schwarzbier.