Talk:Beer stein

Positive Feedback

Just wanted to cite the use of the "Milwaukee City Hall" mug picture as a *perfect* attachment to this article. For a N. American that was like the ideal example to see, just an immediate "Ohhhh, OK, one of those" indicator. Really well above-average pics for this whole thing... great job everybody. I initially came here to figure out what a "humpen" was but then I learned so much more. 172.220.5.243 (talk) 04:05, 10 May 2025 (UTC)

mistake?

"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.[1]" Instead, the prevailing belief was that at the time of the black plague it was believed that it was caused by bad air, rather than fleas. (Fdsdh1 (talk) 17:54, 11 December 2012 (UTC))

The passage now reads:

"It is believed by some that the hinged lid was implemented during the age of the Black Plague to prevent diseased flies from getting into the beer.[7] This is unlikely to be true, as contemporaries did not know flies spread the disease.[citation needed] Instead, the prevailing belief was that it was spread through dangerous "miasmas".

Note the change of "fleas" to "flies". This correctly represents what the cited source says: "During the summers of the late 1400s, hoards [sic] of little flies frequently invaded Central Europe. By the early 1500s, several principalities in what is now Germany had passed laws requiring that all food and beverage containers be covered to protect consumers against these dirty insects." (Emphasis added.)

However, the "this is unlikely to be true" sentence is wrong. First, it still says "flies". First, the Black Plague article does not say that flies were a plague vector. Second, even if the belief that "miasmas" was prevailing at that time, it doesn't mean that people weren't concerned about flies being infectious. I think the sentence should be changed to something like "(At the time it was not known how the plague was spread.)"

--~2026-21758-81 (talk) 17:00, 8 April 2026 (UTC)

Pfalz

In the Palatinate (Southwest Germany) we still use the word Stein and never 'Maß'. (This comment added by 84.144.101.159 Demi ^T/_C 16:14, 6 December 2005 (UTC))

DOJ stein

United States Department of Justice Beer Stein found in a California thrift shop. --Ryanrs 00:45, 18 January 2006 (UTC)

Simpsons?

Is the jokey Simpsons image necessary on a page about a German beer vessel? --SandyDancer 16:24, 3 November 2006 (UTC)

Lid

Isn't the point of having a covered stein the ability to store it for a long time without having to worry about dust and all that? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.190.153.174 (talk) 00:10, 1 June 2008 (UTC)

If you want to do that, you simply place it upside down in your cupboard. Mind you, steins are used in beer gardens in the open, so the prime purpose of the lid is to keep the bugs and wasps from stealing a share of your drink. --Syzygy (talk) 07:27, 13 August 2008 (UTC), beerdrinker and hellraiser

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Vigorous activities

"The lid keeps the beer from spilling out of the stein while the drinker is engaged in vigorous activity, such as swinging the arm in time to a drinking song or dancing."

Can we drop this sentence? Frankly, it sounds pretty daft to me. Living in one of the prime beer garden areas of the world, I don't recall anybody in their right minds swinging their steins. (Mind you, a full stein will weigh close to two kilos.) --Syzygy (talk) 07:17, 13 August 2008 (UTC)

Since it isn't referenced and since you find it questionable, I see no compelling reason to keep that sentence. I have removed it and added back in your sentence that I unintentionally removed when I reverted the information on the origins of the lid --Mikebrand (talk) 02:44, 15 August 2008 (UTC)

Similar: Stein, Tankard, and Maß

This article has similarities to Tankard and Maß. They all fit into peculiar situations. You would expect to drink a "Tankard of ale" at a Renaissance festival. When visiting Germany, you would drink "ein Maß bier" (or more) at the Oktoberfest. The decorative souvenir with the pewter top you bring home would be recognized as a "beer stein". In the U.S., the glass with a handle is a beer mug, which can still be seen at restaurants and bars. An Older Steinkrug (literally "stone crock") clay mug might be found in antique stores in the U.S. Group29 (talk) 19:52, 12 September 2008 (UTC)

Please give in the article an explaination of the differences between Stein and tankard . I assume, that tankard is a vessel from metal, esp. silver ? --Alfred Löhr (talk) 18:37, 24 March 2012 (UTC)

FWIW In my experience in the UK, the word Stein is generally reserved for the souvenir type mugs brought back from Germany. Beer drinking vessels made from pewter would generally be called a tankard. Most tankards have no lid. Phil the (talk) 10:19, 22 May 2023 (UTC)

Etymology

The origins of the words "beer stein" are quite fascinating. Given the widely divergent information in past and present versions of this article, however, an external reference would be in order. FiveRings (talk) 21:25, 18 September 2008 (UTC)

External reference: check. Maikel (talk) 20:17, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

I'd also like to see some sources here. I am German but I have never come across the word "Stein" referring to a mug, neither in literature nor in my experience. They also seem not to be used outside the southern states very much, where they are called "Krug" or "Mass". The corresponding German article (Wikipedia links to "Humpen") also does not mention the term "Stein". Is it possible that the assumption that "stein" refers to mug in German is an American myth? Does the Anglo-Saxon custom of calling a beer mug a "Stein" maybe come from the material, German "Steinzeug"? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 138.75.213.84 (talk) 01:59, 29 April 2016 (UTC)

Rewrite

I've more or less rewritten the article, I hope you like the results instead of hating my guts for messing up a work of art.

All I can say is, beware of information from tourist guides (and memorabilia vendors), which is often freely made up.

I've had to drop the reference to the "insect plagues of the 15. century" and the bubonic plague because I consider that information bogus. Cheers, Maikel (talk) 20:23, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

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Steinkrug

The word "stein" probably comes from the German word "Steinkrug" (literally "stone mug") which refers to earthenware/stoneware beer mugs. Apparently, the word has gone out of fashion, not even the German Wikipedia knows about it anymore! :D 2003:C8:BF4E:FB94:3CC2:B305:3416:3360 (talk) 20:22, 28 January 2019 (UTC)