Reinheitsgebot
The Reinheitsgebot (German pronunciation: [ˈʁaɪnhaɪtsɡəˌboːt] ; lit. 'purity order') is a series of regulations limiting the ingredients in beer in Germany and the states of the former Holy Roman Empire. The best known version of the law was adopted in Bavaria in 1516 (by William IV), but similar regulations predate the Bavarian order, and modern regulations also significantly differ from the 1516 Bavarian version.