The oldest company in Germany (and sixth-oldest in the world), the Bayrische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan, founded 1040 by Benedictine monks, is the oldest existing brewery in the world. It is now owned by the state government of Bavaria.

Somehow that little nugget says everything about Germany: its history, its thing for beer, and the belief in the mission of the government to secure supply of vital things (like, well, beer).