Who Are the Best Makers of German Beer Steins?
Traditional German beer steins are a great symbol of German history, with each design and stamp telling its own story. A common sight in Germany for hundreds of years, beer steins come in many forms, primarily in ceramic stoneware, pewter and crystal.
Beer steins famously have a lid which can be pushed open with your thumb. This goes back to the 14th century when Germany enforced them as a safety measure against the spread of the bubonic plague. The designs of these obligatory vessels grew more and more elaborate, creating a culture in Germany that has continued across the centuries.
We have a collection of more than 400 beer steins, the biggest selection available online.
But Who Makes the Most Famous and Best German Beer Steins?
Let’s take a look at a few of the best-known and most historic German beer-stein makers:
King-Werk, Wurfel & Mueller
Founded in 1949 with the goal of keeping archaic stein designs alive, King-Werk is one of the world’s largest German beer stein makers. As they specialise in historic moulds — mainly from the ornate shapes hailing from the 18th and 19th centuries — this means you can buy an authentic German beer stein with the exact design as one from hundreds of years ago! Their workshop is located in Germany’s Hohr-Grenzhausen in Westerwald, a region known for being abundant in high-quality clay. This has created a rich pottery culture, and the area is known across the globe for the making of traditional ceramics, not least of all beer steins.
Their wide range of King-Werk ceramic and crystal beer steins can be found here.
Hofbräuhaus (by King-Werk)
Hofbräuhaus München is one of the oldest and most famous beer halls in all of Munich, and as a result, their souvenir beer steins have become popular with beer lovers the world over. King-Werk produces a selection of richly decorated beer steins for Hofbräuhaus München, complete with their famous “HB” logo. As well as their elaborate beer steins, which are richly decorated and come with the traditional pewter lid, they also have a selection of modern beer glasses and mugs, which are also very popular.
Zöller & Born
Also hailing from the Westerwald area to take advantage of the region's dense clay deposits are Zöller & Born, a family-fun business founded in 1956. Zöller & Born love to protect stein tradition, and their workshop solely uses German materials and many of the same techniques from centuries ago, giving the beer-drinker a taste of German history with every sup.
Their unique and eye-catching designs are another reason why Zöller & Born are a world-famous maker of German beer steins — their intricate relief designs are all hand-painted by skilled in-house artists, giving them an extra sense of authenticity and craftsmanship.
Check out our collection of Zöller & Born beer steins here.
Historic Beer Stein Makers
There are also a host of well-known beer stein makers who no longer produce their ceramic or pewter vessels but have left a long-lasting legacy. Just a few names of note include:
- A.J. Thewalt — Albert Thewalt founded the stein company in 1893 and kept a largely traditional stein catalogue. The business stopped producing in 2009, but Thewalt designs are not completely banished to the annals of time, as in 2011, King-Werk bought the rights to re-create their designs from original moulds, so have dutifully taken over these historical designs.
- Reinhold Hanke — Another Westerwald-based stein maker is Reinhold Hanke. Founded in 1868, they created hundreds of steins that depicted many historical and whimsical scenes, as well as a host of jolly figurative steins, making the vessels into animals, monks or even the devil himself! Reinhold Hanke ceased production in 1938.
- Villeroy and Boch — This beer stein maker is widely regarded as one of the world’s most renowned, with their hand-painted ceramic steins being both rare and valuable today. First founded in 1748, when a small family started making ceramics, a factory was later established in 1809 on the grounds of a former Benedictine Abbey in the village of Mettlach in southwest Germany. Villeroy and Boch are known for being prolific during the 19th and 20th centuries, known as the “golden era” of beer steins. Although they are still a working factory, their focus has since moved from beer steins, and they now make a range of household ceramic products.
