Germany
The European Court rules on the German purity requirements
The Court held that Germany could not use its purity rules to bar beer lawfully produced in other member states from being sold as beer.
1987-03-12
Why it matters
Ended the Reinheitsgebot as a trade barrier, and is routinely omitted from accounts presenting it as a timeless universal standard.
How well this is established
| Certainty | Documented. Supported by contemporary records that survive and are agreed on. |
|---|---|
| When | 1987-03-12. |
| Where | Germany |
Traditions
- Bavarian lager brewing — Cold fermentation and extended cold storage, developed in Bavarian cellars long before refrigeration and later exported worldwide.
Either side of this
← 1986: The Kölsch Convention restricts the name to Cologne · 1987: Super Dry reorders the Japanese market →
See the whole sequence on the beer history timeline.
Last reviewed 2026-08-16.