Journey of Steins to Beer Steins

Posted by Allsteins on April 12th, 2017

Steinzeugkrug, also known as Stein is analogous to tankard or stoneware jug in German. In general, Stein is the term used for any beer mug irrespective of its size and stuff it is made of. However, the authentic beer steins are precious and are a symbol of ancient times and traditions.

A stein can be made up of any material such as crystal glass, silver, wood, porcelain, pewter or stoneware. It usually comes in sizes of a liter or a half liter and sometimes even bigger. These consist of a handle and a hinged lid. They are just like decorated tankards designed intricately keeping a German essence in mind. Tankard is usually considered appropriate for all silver or pewter steins. Though, both tankard and Stein are synonyms and primarily used as beer containers. Mugs, on the other hand, are containers without a lid. Ordinarily, they have handle only and no lid and can be used for any drink including beer.

The cap is assumed to be added to avoid the infectious fleas from falling into the beer during the time when Black Plague was at its peak.

Existence of German Beer Steins

During the 19th century, the Stein manufacturers came to realizing the various benefits of the different material that could be used to make these containers. For example, the advantage of in creating it from stoneware was that the steins could be carved intricately with the help of molds. These molds serve for the increased productivity, with ease. Even the Glass Steins were easy to create on a massive scale. The producers used to add glass staining, multicolored overlay as well as acid etching to their designs to make Stein look very impressive and artistic. In addition to the glass and stoneware steins, porcelain beer containers were also very attractive. Their fabricators tried to experiment with characters and different molds in the shape of a person or an item.

Towards the end of the 19th century, collecting the ancient items and copying them for the purpose of producing German Beer Steins had become a pleasurable task not only for individuals but also for cultural associations including museums. These steins were manufactured massively in the US. However, Ceramarte, Brazil is the biggest producer of these.

Today also these steins are as popular as they used to be earlier. A German waiter, Oliver Strumpfel created a new record for carrying pints for over forty meters without spilling from the 27 beer steins having 27 liters beer weighing 62 kgs in the year 2014 in September. This incredible competition during a feat in Gillemoos festival explains the tradition of the love for beer during the celebrations amongst Germans.

Recommended places for the purchase

We would recommend our readers always to buy the authentic product from a reliable supplier. Try and find a professionally accomplished dealer to buy this kind of stuff. There are many mass producers in the market available today that sell copies of the antique pieces. You can contact an expert also to check the authenticity and value of the stein you would like to purchase.