Beer Containers Throughout the Times

The fact that beer has been with mankind for a long while is well known. As beer itself developed, expanded, and improved, so did the way in which we actually got the brew to our mouths. The earliest receptacles humans used for drinking included earthenware, pottery, carved out wood, and even sewn-together pieces of leather. The quality of the beer glass had little advancements as time proceeded. During the black plague beer steins were necessary because of their enclosed top to keep bugs from getting in the beer and getting them ill.

The development of glass might have been the most crucial aspect of the way beer glasses are produced today. As glasses became increasingly popular, customers could really see what they were consuming and demanded a lighter and better look and flavor. This led to the filtration of beers; drinkers no longer wanted the chunks that were often found in the first products of the breweries. With this new, more aesthetically pleasing era of beer glasses, it appeared beer steins were on the way out.

The creation of glassware thrived and created a number of beer glasses for all kinds of different beers. The sixteen-ounce pint glass is the most popular glass in the United States. It was soon discovered that the shape allowed for some of the carbonation to be freed and let the smell be more pronounced. It is also liked for its storage capabilities; pint glasses can be placed on top of each other and stored on shelves, rapidly making them popular with the barkeeps who ended up having to rinse out each glass.

On the advertising and marketing front some exceptional and groundbreaking products were manufactured by breweries to try and drive consumers towards their beers. Giving away beer glasses to consumers was one way that breweries found to promote their products even though it was not allowed. This led to the manufacturers making glasses that were works of art unto themselves. Gold or silver embossing on both sides of the glass was the standard for these first flashy and high dollar glasses. Eventually, artists for the breweries started doing intricate etchings on either side of the beer glasses or steins and even developed a method of cooking enamel paint onto the glasses. These enameled glasses are still some of the most rare beer souvenirs, even though they were manufactured later than the others. Today, many of the beer collectables and banners are worth thousands of dollars and sought out worldwide by avid collectors. Have you looked up in the top of Granddad's drawer lately?