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History of Beer Steins

In German the word meaning a tankard of stoneware is "Steinzeugkrug", hence the origin of today's word "stein", meaning any beer container with a handle and a lid. The steins "lid" was created in response to the Bubonic Plaque which killed nearly 1/3 of all Europeans during 35 years in the middle of the 14th century. The lid, quite a clever invention at the time because it could be worked with one hand, was originally created to keep flies off the drinking rim of a beer stein.  Unsanitary conditions, like flies on eating or drinking areas, had been linked to bubonic plague mortality rates  

Thus began an era of personal drinking vessels, and the beer stein. Wealthier Germans owned fancy pewter, glass, or even silver beer steins. Attempts at crating steins of earthenware or wood fared poorly because they broke easily and were porous.

Experiments began to try to improve earthenware which commonly fires at around 850 degrees F. In time, a furnace was created that could produce much higher temperatures resulting in clay that was melted into a substance that was so hard it became known as "stoneware".

Renaissance artists created  fine works of art especially for beer steins.  Glazes, or finishes, were offered in blue (around 1420), and brown (around 1580) Steins were being decorated with family crests, weapons, knights on horseback plus scenes from old German myths and history. A personal stein was now becoming a status symbol; the fancier your stein, the better!  Perhaps it was medieval Germany's answer to today's Mercedes or BMW!

Now stoneware, pewter, silver, and glass steins were all available, all that was lacking was porcelain, which was only being made exclusively in China. No one in Europe knew how to make porcelain. So European's created the next best thing, faience.

Faience is earthenware with a porcelain like white glaze. German faience was not as durable as the Chinese porcelain, but it was far less expensive to produce. Many years passed until 1709 when the European's discovered the secret of porcelain production, but it wasn't until a generation later that the first porcelain steins were created. By the 1720's and 1730's only the wealthiest Germans were drinking beer from porcelain.

The all powerful Roman Catholic Church, at the time, viewed glass making as sinful and discouraged its production during the Middle Ages. The art of making and decorating glass was not being done in Germany until 1575-1600, and  engraved glass steins didn't come until 125 years later. Horn drinking vessels, popular in Roman times, were rare.   

Soon after 1800, the Napoleonic war and other more minor civil disruptions so diminished the aristocrats’ wealth and power that a new middle class was created. Soon they became the most important market for steins. Stein production soared.  

Around 1800-1825 more pewter steins and glass steins appeared, sometimes with elaborate decorations. 

The Villeroy & Boch firm of Mettlach was established in the 1800's. The 1890's are generally considered to be the "Golden Era" for beer steins designed by Villeroy and Boch, known as "Mettlach" steins. Mettlach's magnificent etched steins were popular then, and, very sought after today. Translated into 2006 dollars a fine Mettlach stein of the era might have brought hundreds of dollars at the time, and, today, may bring over $10,000.00

During the 1800's, archaeological expeditions had uncovered outstanding examples of  art artwork dating back hundreds, and even thousands of years. By about 1850, the public had been so enchanted by the beauty of these finds that beer steins began to appear with  Renaissance and Roman motifs. These steins had relief decorations and often had inlaid porcelain lids. Villeroy & Boch's artists produced the finest examples of these motifs via their hand etched steins. 

Decades later steins were being produced via molds; steins were no longer one of a kind. They were produced by the hundreds, but, the advantage was considerable sums could be spent on the very most elaborate relief's and the cost depreciated over many, many steins. The result; hundreds of collectors could own a high quality beer stein, rather than just a hand full. And, several years later, steins of glassware underwent the same transition, from individual works of art, to steins of fine multicolored glass overlays and acid etchings.

Stein making technology was now moving rapidly; and new porcelain steins were now produced in unique shapes allowing the first "character" steins to be produced, with "lithopane" molds on the bottom to follow.  (Photos of a character stein and a lithopane here

The 1900's were a century of starts and stops for the stein making industry. Just as the century began, political turmoil interrupted. As German stein making was building once again in the 1920's and 1930's, more political turmoil and shortage of needed materials interrupted.

Since the 1960's and 1970's a number of interesting steins have been offered. We're especially enchanted with the latest Limited Editions and some truly spectacular Character Steins. We're also partial to Limited Editions of classical steins that first appeared in the mid to late 1800's.  

Beer stein collecting is a hobby that has literally exploded in America in the past 20 years. Countless Limited Edition steins have soared in value and we consider investing in fine, Limited Edition beer steins to be both a fascinating, as well as a profitable endeavor for the collector.