Beer stein or simply
steinStein is a German and Norwegian word meaning "stone" and may refer to:* Beer stein* Stein , a beer brewery in Bratislava, Slovakia* USS Stein , a frigate in the U.S...
, is an
EnglishEnglish is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
neologism for either traditional beer mugs made out of
stonewareStoneware is a vitreous or semi-vitreous ceramic ware with a fine texture. Stoneware is made from clay that is then fired in a kiln, whether by an artisan to make homeware, or in an industrial kiln for mass-produced or specialty products...
, or specifically ornamental
beerBeer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
mugA mug is a sturdily built type of cup often used for drinking hot beverages, such as coffee, tea, or hot chocolate. Mugs, by definition, have handles and often hold a larger amount of fluid than other types of cup. Usually a mug holds approximately 12 fluid ounces of liquid; double a tea cup...
s that are usually sold as
souvenirA souvenir , memento, keepsake or token of remembrance is an object a person acquires for the memories the owner associates with it. The term souvenir brings to mind the mass-produced kitsch that is the main commodity of souvenir and gift shops in many tourist traps around the world...
s or
collectibleA collectable or collectible is any object regarded as being of value or interest to a collector . There are numerous types of collectables and terms to denote those types. An antique is a collectable that is old...
s. Such
Steins may be made out of
stonewareStoneware is a vitreous or semi-vitreous ceramic ware with a fine texture. Stoneware is made from clay that is then fired in a kiln, whether by an artisan to make homeware, or in an industrial kiln for mass-produced or specialty products...
(rarely the inferior
earthenwareEarthenware is a common ceramic material, which is used extensively for pottery tableware and decorative objects.-Types of earthenware:Although body formulations vary between countries and even between individual makers, a generic composition is 25% ball clay, 28% kaolin, 32% quartz, and 15%...
),
pewterPewter is a malleable metal alloy, traditionally 85–99% tin, with the remainder consisting of copper, antimony, bismuth and lead. Copper and antimony act as hardeners while lead is common in the lower grades of pewter, which have a bluish tint. It has a low melting point, around 170–230 °C ,...
,
porcelainPorcelain is a ceramic material made by heating raw materials, generally including clay in the form of kaolin, in a kiln to temperatures between and...
, or even
silverSilver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
,
woodWood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many trees. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression...
or crystal glass; they may have open tops or hinged
pewterPewter is a malleable metal alloy, traditionally 85–99% tin, with the remainder consisting of copper, antimony, bismuth and lead. Copper and antimony act as hardeners while lead is common in the lower grades of pewter, which have a bluish tint. It has a low melting point, around 170–230 °C ,...
lids with a thumb-
leverIn physics, a lever is a rigid object that is used with an appropriate fulcrum or pivot point to either multiply the mechanical force that can be applied to another object or resistance force , or multiply the distance and speed at which the opposite end of the rigid object travels.This leverage...
.
Steins usually come in sizes of a half
litrepic|200px|right|thumb|One litre is equivalent to this cubeEach side is 10 cm1 litre water = 1 kilogram water The litre is a metric system unit of volume equal to 1 cubic decimetre , to 1,000 cubic centimetres , and to 1/1,000 cubic metre...
or a full litre (or comparable historic sizes). Like decorative
tankardA tankard is a form of drinkware consisting of a large, roughly cylindrical, drinking cup with a single handle. Tankards are usually made of silver, pewter, or glass, but can be made of other materials, for example wood, ceramic or leather. A tankard may have a hinged lid, and tankards featuring...
s, they are often decorated in a nostalgic manner, but with allusions to
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
or
BavariaBavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
. It is believed by some that the lid was implemented during the age of the Black Plague, to prevent diseased fleas from getting into the beer.
Etymology
Stein is an abbreviation of German
Steingut "
stonewareStoneware is a vitreous or semi-vitreous ceramic ware with a fine texture. Stoneware is made from clay that is then fired in a kiln, whether by an artisan to make homeware, or in an industrial kiln for mass-produced or specialty products...
", the common material for beer mugs before the introduction of glass. The word is not used within Germany.
The word
stein could have also originated from the German word
Steinzeugkrug, meaning stoneware jug or tankard. By common usage, stein is referred to being a beer container with a handle and hinged lid.
Bierstein in German means
beerstone – i. e.
beer scale – a hard residue of
calcium oxalateCalcium oxalate is a chemical compound that forms needle-shaped crystals, known in plants as raphides. A major constituent of human kidney stones, the chemical is also found in beerstone, a scale that forms on containers used in breweries...
, protein, and sugar formed when a brewing vessel is used repeatedly without exacting cleaning.
History
The stein originated around the 14th century. The spread of the bubonic plague throughout Europe forced Germany to take some precautions in preventing a catastrophe. A new German law was written, stating that all beverage containers needed a lid.
During the next 300 or so years, Germany enforced many regulations on how their beer was to be produced and transported, while other European countries didn't take such precautions. Thus German beer quickly became popular across Europe and demand for the beer increased as well. This demand made it a necessary search for inexpensive, yet durable material to transport large amounts of beer to different areas. Although many materials proved to be a sufficient material to use in creating beer steins, the most common materials used were glass, stoneware, and porcelain.
In the latter half of the 19th century, stein makers found different advantages within the different materials. 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 a person.
Throughout the 1900s, collecting antique and replicated beer steins became very popular hobby not only among individual people, but in museums as well. Production of beer steins has become substantially large in America, but the largest producer of beer steins is Ceramarte of Brazil.
Material
Beer steins were made primarily with pewter in many areas across Europe (primarily in England), but many steins were known to be made of glass, porcelain, and silver as well. Steins has also been known to have been forged 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 1892
OktoberfestOktoberfest, or Wiesn, is a 16–18 day beer festival held annually in Munich, Bavaria, Germany, running from late September to the first weekend in October. It is one of the most famous events in Germany and is the world's largest fair, with more than 5 million people attending every year. The...
. Modern beer mugs, except again decorative or luxury versions, don't have a lid.
Beer mugs (0.5 and 1 litre) are typical for beer gardens and especially the
OktoberfestOktoberfest, or Wiesn, is a 16–18 day beer festival held annually in Munich, Bavaria, Germany, running from late September to the first weekend in October. It is one of the most famous events in Germany and is the world's largest fair, with more than 5 million people attending every year. The...
, where they are popular for their robustness. In other settings, 0.33 and 0.5 litre beer glasses are also popular.
Other forms and synonyms
In German-speaking regions beer mugs may be known as:
- Bierkrug ("beer mug")
- Maßkrug or Maß (for a one-litre beer mug)
- Humpen
- Adlerhumpen, a tall drinking glass sometimes with covers enamelled with the double eagle of the Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
- Seidel or Seidla (Franconia, ½ litre)
- Schoppen (Palatinate, ½ litre)
- Keferloher, the traditional (but non-embellished) stoneware beer mug, named after the village of Keferloh near Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
where they were originally produced
Considered collectible are traditional designs such as brewery emblems, Bavarian motifs such as
Neuschwanstein or the Marienplatz
Rathaus-GlockenspielThe Rathaus-Glockenspiel of Munich is a tourist attraction in Marienplatz the heart of Munich.Part of the second construction phase of the New Town Hall, it dates from 1908. Every day at 11 a.m. it chimes and re-enacts two stories from the 16th century to the amusement of mass crowds of tourists...
of Munich, and the colorful official annual Oktoberfest souvenir mug featuring the year's winning poster design.
The lid
Although they have long gone out of fashion, the lids on beer mugs serve as a sanitary measure especially to keep insects out of the beer. They are usually made out of
pewterPewter is a malleable metal alloy, traditionally 85–99% tin, with the remainder consisting of copper, antimony, bismuth and lead. Copper and antimony act as hardeners while lead is common in the lower grades of pewter, which have a bluish tint. It has a low melting point, around 170–230 °C ,...
, 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 (if one can hold the weight, that is).
These days beer mats are usually used to cover the glass or mug when required.
External links