14th Century German Beer Law Angling for UNESCO World Heritage Status
By: Sarah Chappell
Published: May 26, 2011

A group of German brewers and beer advocates are aiming to have the 14th Century Reinheitsgebot, or Beer Purity Law, added to UNESCO's World Heritage List of cultural treasures. The German Institute for Pure Beer (DIRB) announced at their annual meeting that the 1516 law (since repealed) dictating that beer must contain only barley, hops, and water is one of the oldest food and drink laws and has protected the integrity of the German beer tradition, making it fall under UNESCO's criteria for selection. 
If DIRB is successful, the Beer Purity Law will join French food and Hungary's Tokaj wine region on the list.