 In Modern Greece, a limited number of brands—owned by breweries from northern Europe in most cases (e.g.Heineken or Amstel)—dominated for many years the local market, while a stringent Bavarian-influenced beer purity law was in force.Gradually, the provisions of this law loosened, and, since the late 1990s, new local brands emerged (in 1997 Mythos made a breakthrough) or re-emerged (e.g.