Most Americans have seen German beer steins in stores, restaurants, museums, antique shops and private collections.
German beer steins evolved from the 14th and 15th centuries. The sanitary needs of Europe developed during the Bubonic Plague (or Black Death 1340-1380), which killed 25 million people in Europe. The subsequent fly infestations emerged from the hundreds of thousands of rotting corpses lying everywhere in the cities and towns. Local municipalities passed sanitary laws that all food and beverage containers must be covered to protect people. The covered drinking vessels became the primary way of keeping flies out of the beer. Hinged pewter lids operated by the thumb became the norm for protection against the plague. Communities with cleaner public areas had suffered fewer deaths. Germany passed the Reinheitsgebot law, German Beer Purity Law, which mandated that beer could only be brewed using water, hops, yeast and cereals to set the guidelines for brewing beer in Germany.
The early drinking vessels were made of ceramic stoneware as early as the 17th century. Eventually, steins became more elaborate art forms with detailed carvings, relief work and diverse materials like glass, porcelain, pewter, ivory and metal. They became status symbols and collectible art forms reflecting many aspects of German life and culture.
German companies like Mettlach and Gerz became notable manufacturers. The Villeroy and Boch pottery factory in Mettlach, Germany, produced excellent-quality steins. They are highly regarded and valued by stein collectors. Their steins have a castle mark with a stein on the bottom and date number codes for easier identification.
Peter Gerz founded his pottery company in 1835 in Höhr, Germany. It operated from 1857 to the 1990s when it went bankrupt. The company was noted for its regimental and figural character steins. An authentic Gerz mark looks like a pitcher in a triangle. These steins are characterized by having yellow shiny rings around the top.
Stein collector guides, such as Way of Liberty Steins and Schultz and Dooley Character Steins, appeared in collector magazines and books popular in the 1990s. Ralph and Terry Kovel published articles about steins in their collector guides and magazines, which spotlighted Gerz and Schierholz. These articles and price valuations helped collectors focus their collections. They even focused on newer lines to specific audiences like occupational steins. The Beer Stein Library features reprinted articles by James R. Stevenson, which were edited by the Kovels. Terry Kovel writes columns in local newspapers like The Herald and In Forum on brands like Gerz. Her company purchased the collector newspaper, the Antique Trader, and is now known as Kovel’s Antique Trader. They often include articles on novelty steins, like a corn-themed stein, which I have in my collections.
Key themes for steins include military scenes, nature scenes, animals, family life, hunting scenes and human emotions. Most have simple German sayings like “Eifersucht,” meaning jealousy, often illustrated by an old man flirting with young waitress; “Zur Gesundheit,” meaning to your health; Prost, meaning toast; and Gut Holz, meaning good wood, often illustrated by a bowling theme. Then there are classical themes such as Minerva, the Roman goddess of wisdom; strategic warfare; art; crafts; and trade, as well as places like Strassbourg, Wiesbaden and Salzburg.
I taught German for 42 years, and we have visited Germany several times since 1998 with our first Germany in Depth student tour from Berlin to Munich. It is nice to buy German steins there, but then you have to worry about packing them safely in your carry-on luggage or having them shipped back to America. One boy fell in love with a 32-liter stein, which was 5 feet tall and cost 2,600 Deutsch marks (about $1,300). He said he had the money, but he was afraid of it being damaged in shipment. An empty 32-liter stein weighs 35 pounds. He passed on the wonderful stein.
The most famous brewery in Munich is the Hofbräuhaus, which can hold up to 3,000 patrons. They sell imprinted one-liter glass mugs with the HB on them. They also sell specialty beer steins with an imprinted view of the facility on glass and stoneware. We have visited there several times, as recently as 2016 on our World War II and the Western Front tour. They also serve wonderful German food using locally produced meats and vegetables.
During the decades of 19th century in America, a class of beer stein collectors developed. During the Golden Age of Artistry (17th-19th centuries), stoneware became a popular medium, allowing mass production and intricate relief decorations. Steins became a true art form featuring hand-painted scenes, historical events, hunting motifs and “character steins” shaped like people or animals. Materials like porcelain, colored glass, silver and ivory were used on Mettlach steins. They became status symbols, including family crests symbolic of their status in Bavaria. Gemütlichkeit, which translates to coziness/friendliness, is a frequently used term to describe them. Initially, only rich people could afford pewter or glass steins.
At Christkindlmarkt celebrations in Germany, Austria, France, Hungary and Belgium, there are always vendors selling German beer steins. At the one in Chicago’s Daley Plaza, there were at least two vendors selling steins. They are wonderful with a good selection of steins available. We went there with a couple of friends about five years ago. We rode the train to within two blocks of the favorite Christmas activity in Chicago. If you order a Glühwein there (hot spiced wine), it is served in small ceramic mugs similar to beer steins with no lids.
Since we are in the antique business, I have collected old German beer steins of all sizes over the years. The steins range from one-quarter liter to 5 liters capacity. We find them at antique shows and flea markets, shops and auctions. It is easy to tell the old ones from the newer ones by Gerz. The Gerz ones are shinier, whereas the others have matte glazes. I love the variety of images and sayings on them. Some of the ones made from 1946 to 1989, when Germany reunited, are marked West Germany. They are a little harder to find.
When I taught my German classes at a local high school, I organized field trips to dine at the Bevo Mill German Restaurant in St. Louis. It was built for the Augustus Busch family in the shape of a windmill. It is like a German castle on the interior, complete with gargoyles. The restaurant prepared a buffet of German foods for the students to try. Afterwards, I took them to a small German store in the neighborhood. It featured German candies, newspapers, comic books and beer steins. One of the steins read: “Hätt’ Adam bayrisches Bier besessen, hätt’ Adam den Apfel nicht gegessen.” This translates to, “If Adam had possessed Bavarian beer, he wouldn’t have eaten the apple.” I finally bought that stein on eBay.
For more information or to ask questions or make comments, contact me at wootongs@gmail.com or call me at 217-259-4354.