Back in 1998, or even a bit earlier, it became clear to us that capacity marks on beer steins are unique to their factories of origin, and so we began assembling images of those marks for use as an aid to researchers in manufacturer identification. By unique we do not mean that only one capacity mark was used by each factory, but rather that any number of marks applied by any given factory were used only by that factory.
Manufacturers associated with the capacity marks shown in this compilation were identified either from markings on the stein itself or through factory catalogs. While many of these marks may appear alike, no two are identical, but close attention to detail is required in all cases.
Editor’s Note: This compilation originally appeared on a now inoperative website maintained by John McGregor, a consummate beer stein researcher, who sadly passed away in early 2015. Fortunately, the material has been made available to the Beer Stein Library, and it is our intention to maintain it as an open access Library component for the foreseeable future.
It is important to note that due to the inherent similarities between capacity marks, BSL member experience with the use of the information contained herein as a primary manufacturer identification tool has been mixed at best. We would therefore urge end-users to think of capacity marks as secondary or tertiary confirmation tools, best applied to the task of validating identifications made using more easily distinguishable characteristics such as handle configurations, base markings, and so on.
If you have a capacity mark you think should be added to those already shown, you are urged to report it via email to [email protected].
| 