German beer is highly diverse and an important part of Germany's culture. There are around 1,300 breweries in Germany, more than in any other country except the United States which has 1,500. The German beer market is somewhat sheltered from the rest of the world beer market by the German brewers' adherence to the Reinheitsgebot (order of purity ) dating from 1516 (and most recently updated in the Vorlaufiges Biergesetz of 1993), according to which the only allowed ingredients of beer are water, hops and barley-malt.

The Big 6 Munich Breweries:

• Lowenbrau
• Hofbrauhaus Munchen
• Paulaner
• Hacker-Pschorr
• Spaten
• Augustinerbau

Other large German breweries

• Warsteiner
• Beck's
• Ayinger
• St. Paulie Girl