| A beer stein can be made of many different | | | | pass laws requiring food and beverage containers |
| materials including pewter, silver, wood, porcelain, | | | | to be covered. Adding a hinged lid with a thumb |
| earthenware, stoneware or glass. You can usually | | | | lift on the lid within reach of the mug handle, |
| tell a modern stein because it will have a hinged lid. | | | | made it possible to keep a beverage covered and |
| The German terms for steins are as follows: A | | | | yet open it with the same hand by which it was |
| stein is called a Steinkrug, if it is stoneware, or | | | | held. This helped keep the drink sanitary. |
| Glaskrug if it is made of glass. | | | | Today, there are many collectors of steins that |
| The main purpose of the lid is to keep the beer | | | | exists. Steins also make a great gift for the |
| from spilling out of the stein. The person holding | | | | person who has everything. You will find many |
| the stein is then free to go on with many other | | | | kinds of collectible steins such as Budweiser, |
| activities such as swinging the arm in time to a | | | | Avon, and those right from Germany. Some of |
| drinking song or dancing. Originally the design was | | | | the art work will amaze you as will the colors and |
| conceived as a sanitary measure. During the | | | | ideas that go into the making of the stein. Some |
| summers of the late 1400s, central Europe was | | | | are done for special occasions like the Olympics, |
| repeatedly overwhelmed with swarms of flies. | | | | to celebrate someone like Elvis Presley and for |
| This soon led several principalities in Germany to | | | | holidays. |