Germany and its purity law for beer have a well-kept secret, that the corporate gatekeepers of its industrial brewing and export industry want you to know as little as possible about:

The German beer industry is at the dawn of significant changes. This is true both for large commercial breweries and the small start-up “craft” breweries that are starting to sell their beers across the country.

First things first: Berliner Weisse is an acquired taste! To the uninitiated, their first encounter with a glass of Berliner Weisse usually results in an upturned nose or a grimace. I have witnessed the same response on many occasions.

It is generally accepted that there are three great historic brewing nations: Germany, Belgium and Great Britain. British beer styles in particular have been popularised by the craft beer movement over the last thirty years.