Germany Thinks Its Beer Is As Important As The Great Wall Of China And Egypt's Pyramids

"Germany has an unchallenged reputation as a beer nation," Hans-Georg Eils, the president of the German Brewers Association, told NBC News.

The country has a strict beer purity law, called Reinheitsgebot, set down by Bavarian Dukes about 500 years ago. They allow only four ingredients in the brewing process: water, malt, hops, and yeast.

In UNESCO's definition of intangible cultural heritage, the agency includes "the knowledge and skills to produce traditional crafts."

Marc-Oliver Huhnholz, a spokesman for the German Brewers Association, said to NBC News that German beer "is really a special craftsmanship."

"From just four ingredients, we can make so many different tasting brews," Huhnholz said.

The German brewing tradition is known the world over. In Namibia, a former German colony, Namibia's Windhoek Lager stamps every bottle with the word "Reinheitsgebot" to signify the purity of the beer that comes from the German method.