The Day my German Beer Stein Broke

The Day my German Beer Stein Broke

The Day my German Beer Stein Broke was one I will never forget. It was not out of carelessness or being drunk. For that I would have never forgiven myself. It was just out of being used and the stein just wore out, or should I say the lid had seen too many beers and was opened to often over the past 150 years.

 

The German beer stein is one of the few collectible items a person can own that can still perform it primary function the same 150 year after it was made as on the first day of its creation. This was to consume beer by its owner. With each opening of the lid, the joint or rings get slightly worn.

My grandfather warned me this would happen eventually, but he had used it all of his life just like his grandfather did, so it was ok and expected. With my grandfather passed away for a few years now I was not sure what to do. I could repair it myself, but it would damage the value and the art of the German beer stein, so I found another alternative.

 

There are professional German beer stein repairmen that can be found in the internet. I was first advised that with the repair, the stein would lose some of its monetary value. I was also advised it would be less than if I did not repair the stein at all. A broken stein can lose up to 50% of its values when it is broken. A repaired stein could lose 10% to 40%, depending on the extent of the damage and how well the repair job was completed.

 

I found out that tears in the pewter lids were common along with dents and missing thumblifts. These could be easily repaired for $30 to $60. Mine was a broken thumblift. I was not aware I was pressing so hard on the lever and broke it off. This was caused by the hinge binding. I was advised to help prevent this from reoccurring to keep the hinge itself clean.

Unlike other metals that should have their hinges oiled, I was told to never add oil to the hinge to help it move. The reason I was told was that some of the dirt and oil might make its way into the beer. Another establishment told me that the oil would prematurely wear out the hinge causing it to need repairs sooner than expected. The only solution was to clean it with water and a tooth brush.

 

In my search for a German beer stein repair shop I found numerous ones in Germany as expected. Many of them were associated with current German beer stein production facilities. If your stein company is still open, then this is a great place to send your stein in for repairs. As for myself, I found a place in Virginia that specialized in this delicate work. Because it was on this side of the Atlantic, I did not have to worry about shipping it overseas and the damage that might occur.

 

But this was the story of the day my German beer stein broke. I have it back now and I am still using it as my grandfather wished.