It’s just called the “Beer Stein,” or maybe, “Jersey City Beer Stein.” I thought it was a tea or coffee pot at first, but according to its creator, Uta Brauser—who is of German descent, the land where this drinking vessel was invented—it’s a Beer Stein. As Beer Steins go, an enormous one. Uta made it herself, it’s about five feet high, constructed of wood and paste board—there’s a door that swings open, sort of resembling fairy-tale village housing. People can go inside, and/or write or draw whatever they want on the exterior. Your graffiti is encouraged. An interactive art installation is how she describes it. Every time I see it, more scribbles and doodles are apparent. It’s one popular Stein!Uta is the proprietor of Fish with Braids on Jersey Avenue and the driving force behind the Art Market at the Grove Street Plaza that is held every Friday, weather permitting. For the past few weeks, the Stein has stood out as some amongst the various tables at this weekly art-fair, gradually attracting more tags. Soon after its debut, when it wasn’t attracting the desired attention, Uta, on the suggestion of a local businessmen, had the Statue of Liberty drawn on the side. “The idea was to have a familiar image, and it worked,” she said. Soon, the sides of the Beer Stein gained more and more, art. I guess its for Art on Art’s sake.
The Beer Stein may go on hiatus from Art Market, Uta’s not sure. The Beer Stein concept is trying to evolve with the event, which will continue year-round. When the Beer Stein first appeared, there were free drink vouchers from local taverns inside, but now, and in order to generate some much needed, operating revenue for the Art Market’s cash strapped, shoe string budget, an effort is underway to get some sponsorships from beer companies, or have a tie-in with a beer and/or local drinking establishment, or even use it as a staging ground to start serving beer at the Art Market. Currently, only limited refreshments are available at the weekly extravaganza. No matter what option, or combination of options, is finally selected, there’s some red tape involved. “An interest in sponsorship is there,” said Uta. “The Beer Stein makes you want to have beer. I’m not a beer drinker, but after I built it, I had to have a beer.”
Personally, I would love to chill with a beer on early Friday evenings in the fresh air, looking at the crafts for sale, looking at the folks looking at the crafts for sale. There is something basic about the Beer Stein that’s appealing. Something inexplicably simple. It’s interactive even if just seeing it is the extent of the interactivity.
I found out that the word stein is a shortened form of Steinzeugkrug, which is German for stoneware jug or tankard. The difference between a stein and its drink-ware with a handle cousin, the mug, is the hinged lid with the thumb lift lever. A stein enables you to drink with one hand while keeping the beverage covered before and after your mouth is away from the rim. Why was the Beer Stein invented? The answer is disease prevention. In the 14th century, the bubonic plague, also known as the Black Death, killed an estimated 25 million Europeans. During the summers, swarms of black flies and mosquitoes were everywhere. The principalities of what we now know as Germany (Ye ole Prussia!) passed some of the first national sanitary laws as officials started to make the connection between disease and their likely carriers, flying insects. The laws required that all food and beverage containers be covered to protect against these dirty insects. Beer drinkers were early adapters (nothing squelches a night of lager guzzling faster than the threat of Bubonic Plague), thus the mug became ‘steinized’ by adding a hinged lid with a thumb lift lever. Considering reports that the mosquito population in Jersey City grew this summer by about 300 percent—due to record rain fall, standing, stagnant water and our inadequate sewer system—the Beer Stein may be a more relevant vessel for our city than we realize.
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