In honor of the upcoming 2010 Oktoberfest, national craft brewer Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. headquartered in Chico, California, has initiated a search for an original glass beer stein design with the Sierra Nevada logo. The winning design will be sold in a limited-edition run at the brewery gift shop, and possibly via the brewing company’s online gift shop. Officially entitled the “Ein Stein Design Vendor Search,” the company is looking for a designer with the capacity to produce a limited edition of 200-300 glass steins.
For those unfamiliar with the type, a glass beer stein is a heavy, sturdy beer mug with a handle, originating in Germany. It typically holds a full liter of beer. You may have come across it in the hands of drunken revelers, possibly singing at the top of their throats and clinking their glasses together, all while spilling beer everywhere (at least you can imagine it?).
A brief history lesson: the beer stein, also known in Germany as the Maß, has a long and illustrious history dating back to 16th-century, when lids were introduced to drinking mugs as a sanitary measure against the bubonic plague (though today, the lid is optional). Steins evolved through different materials and styles, though one fixture of the stein is its decorative outside, often adorned with folk-art and local mythology.
Glassmaking only took off in Germany around the 16th century. The early steins were ceramic, and first glass steins are thought to have appeared only late in the 18th century (a thriving market for antique beer steins, mostly ceramic, can be found here). It was not until glassmakers were able to mass-produce glass molds in the latter part of the 19th century that their popularity soared, as suggested by their introduction to the 1892 Oktoberfest. Today, of course, the glass stein is an essential element of Oktoberfest, whether celebrated in Munich or in Chico, California, where Sierra Nevada is based.
All of which brings us back to the contest. Potential vendors have until August 24th to submit a sketch, drawing, photograph, or digital rendering of their glass beer stein design, along with a wholesale price point to produce a lot of 200 – 300 of them. (The Hot Sheet has learned that organizers are looking to sell the mugs from their brewery store in Chico, California, for a retail price of $100 or less). The 10 – 15 finalists will be asked to provide an actual prototype of their design, of which one will be selected. The design must be original, 1-2 pints in capacity, branded with the Sierra Nevada logo, include a “handsome and useful handle”, come with a suggested wholesale price, and finally, according to the press release, the glass stein design must be “well suited to the task of presenting its wondrous contents”.
For more information, check out Sierra Nevada’s official announcement here.
- Lee Gaizak Brooks