Beer stein

Stonewarebeer steins

Abeer stein(/ˈstaɪn/STYNE), or simplystein,is either a traditional beer mug made out ofstonewareor specifically an ornamentalbeermugsold as asouvenirorcollectible.An 1894 article on beer mugs in the AmericanVoguemagazinethat describes various types of steins stated: "And it is to this [i.e. German] nation that we oweWagner's music and theapotheosisof the beer mug. "

Such steins may be made out ofstoneware,pewter,porcelainor evensilver,woodorcrystal glass;they may have open tops or hingedpewterlids with a thumb-lever.Steins usually come in sizes of a halflitreor a full litre (or comparable historic sizes). Like decorativetankards,they are often decorated in a nostalgic manner with allusions toGermany.

Etymology

A typical half-litre GermanHumpen(beer mug)

The English word is attested from 1855.It is borrowed fromGermanStein,which has – aside from its prevailing meaning "stone" – elder regional meanings "beer mug"and "beer measure of 1litreor 2 Schoppen ".

The word can be compared toOld Englishstæne"pitcher, jug".

The wordSteinalone is not used any more to refer to a beverage container in standard German; rather,Krug,Humpenor, especially in Bavaria and Austria,Seidelare used.Oktoberfestusage isMaßkrug.

History

It is believed by some that the hinged lid was implemented during the age of theBlack Plagueto prevent diseased flies from getting into the beer. This is unlikely to be true, as contemporaries did not know fleas spread the disease. Instead, the prevailing belief was that it was spread through dangerous “miasmas”.

The advantage in using stoneware to make steins was that molds could be used to mass-produce elaborately carved steins. In using glass, not only could one produce multiple glass mugs, but an artistic touch could add to the glass by including acid etchings, glass staining, or even multicolored overlays. Porcelain's advantage was that a stein fabricator could use molds to make "character steins", steins that had a particular shape modeled after an item or collecting antique and replicated beer steins became a very popular hobby not only among individual people, but in museums as well. Production of beer steins has become substantial in America, but the largest producer of beer steins is Ceramarte of Brazil.

The most traditional area of beer stein production is theKannenbäckerlandin the Westerwald region in Germany. This unique German potters region has been creating beer steins for centuries and is famous among the collectors as the original German beer stein producer.

Material

Beer steins were made primarily withpewterin many areas across Europe (primarily in England), but many steins were known to be made ofglass,porcelain,andsilveras well.Steins have also been known to have been made out of wood, earthenware, and crystal.

Ordinary German beer mugs have been made out of glass for hygienic reasons since the introduction of glass mugs to the 1892Oktoberfest.Modern beer mugs, except again decorative or luxury versions, do not have a lid.

Beer mugs (0.5 and 1 litre) are typical forbeer gardensand especially the Oktoberfest, where they are popular for their robustness. In other settings, 0.33 and 0.5 litre beer glasses are also popular.

Attemptsto replace beer mugs made from glass or earthenware by ones made from plastic (for security reasons) have been variously met with protests, even burningsof mugs and were never successful in the long or even medium term in Germany.

The lid

The lids on beer mugs serve as a sanitary measure, especially to keep insects out of the beer.They are usually made out ofpewter,and are usually equipped with a lever that is in reach of the thumb, so that it is possible to grab the mug and open and close the lid with a single hand.

These daysbeer matsare usually used to cover the glass or mug when required.

Other forms and synonyms

An unusually large German beer stein with a 32-liter (8.45 U.S. gal) capacity that weighs 16 kilograms (35 lb) when empty

In German-speaking regions beer mugs may be known as:

• Bierkrug( "beer mug" )
• MaßkrugorMaß(for a one-litre beer mug)
• Humpen
• Adlerhumpen,a tall drinking glass sometimes with covers enamelled with the double eagle of theHoly Roman Empire
• SeidelorSeidla(Franconia,1⁄2litre). The termSeideis also used by thePennsylvania Dutchin thePennsylvania Dutch Country.
• Schoppen(Palatinate,1⁄2litre)
• Keferloher,the traditional (but non-embellished) stoneware beer mug, named after the village ofKeferlohnearMunichwhere they were originally produced

Considered collectible are traditional designs such as brewery emblems, Bavarian motifs such asNeuschwansteinor the MarienplatzRathaus-Glockenspielof Munich, and the colorful official annual Oktoberfest souvenir mug featuring the year's winning poster design.

The use of beer mugs is uncommon in most parts of Northern and Central Germany, and in these regions considered a Bavarian specialty.

Pictures

• 
  Beer stein made in Poland
• 
  A late-19th-century German beer stein
• 
  Beer mug commemoratingMilwaukee City Hall
• 
  Beer stein at theModelo Museum of Science and Industryin Toluca, Mexico
• 
  Stoneware design byHeinrich Schlitt,produced byVilleroy & Boch

See also

• Tankard
• Maß
• Oktoberfest

External links

• How Beer Steins are produced,a BeerSteinsInternational factory tour on how German Beer Steins are produced
• A Brief History of Beer Steins,an article from a collector's website, taken fromThe Beer Stein Book: a 400 Year History(ISBN1-889591-00-9)
• Stein Marksprovides a database to determine the provenance of any stein.