The Origins Of The Iconic Beer Stein

Chances are good that your bartender at the local dive isn't handing off your pilsner in a stein. Steins are a bizarre piece of beer glassware, often holding almost double the amount of liquid as the classic pint. In fact, they're not even made of glass half the time. Stein is short for steinzeugkrug, a word combining "stone" and "tankard." They were traditionally made of pewter, with wood, glass, and ceramic as secondary options. These chunky jugs come with a handle and lid, and artisans spend a long time engraving or painting intricate designs around the body. Aside from being cool items to sit on your shelf or enjoy copious amounts of beer from, steins have a fascinating history for how they got here.

What sets the stein apart from other glassware is its lid, and it wasn't a decorative choice. In the 1300s, the bubonic plague swept through Europe with a death toll in the millions. It reached far and wide through port trade, where fleas and rats transferred it to humans. Medieval Germans didn't have a full grasp of pandemic diseases, but they knew enough to try to protect themselves. Food regulations such as labeling spoiled meat and covering food and drinks were made law. The stein and its lid were part of this movement, as a measure to prevent flies and other contaminants from infecting their prized German beer.

The bubonic plague started to dial down with "quarantine," coming from the practice of sailors not being allowed to leave the infected ships for 40 days. Subsequent sanitation laws helped fend off future plagues, so some areas did better than others at managing the spread. Covering food and drinks was an incredibly progressive decision when other pandemic management strategies included flagellation or bloodletting. Steins are a reminder of how far we've come in food safety and storage.

In the following centuries, steins became more about fashion over function as a way to flex wealth or artisanal craftsmanship. Motifs from German history and culture became a big part of the design, which is why the stein has become a cultural symbol itself. Steins are part of Oktoberfest celebrations, and if you've got some arm strength to spare, there are entire steinholding competitions you can enter. While everyone else is out here with their Stanley tumblers nowadays, you could be the one walking around with a handmade steinzeugkrug. Just saying.