Upper Midwest Society of Steinologists
A nonprofit organization devoted to studying and collecting drinking vessels particularly antique beer steins and related objects -- a resource for collectors in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa (1968-2010)
Election of Officers UMSOS 2010
"photo from Presidents race at Washington National stadium" It is time again---how time does fly. President Henry could use a break from his position of the last 4 years and would like us to elect our new officers for 2011 though 2013 at our October meeting. Those "in place officers" who are willing to hold onto your position for a while longer let us know-- that will be appreciated as well. We do need your help! If you can "jump" into any position --let us know. Call 763-545-9514 today!
Our Next Meeting October 23
It will be on Saturday about noon near the border between Minnesota and Wisconsin at the Winzer Stube Restaurant in Hudson Wi. Whenever anyone thinks of fine-quality porcelain character steins, the name Schierholz & Sohn leads the field. Many collectors consider them to be the finest designers and manufacturers of a large variety of different types of character steins. We will have a special guest speaker Steve Morris to speak about these steins. This will be an interesting talk. Members are invited to bring their own Shierholtz steins to learn more about them. Schierholz was established in 1816 by two brothers, Johann Karl Rudolf Heuacker and Dr. Gottlob Ferdinand Heuacker.Schierholz employed two different styles of character design. One was simple and was designed to be used for drinking. These designs were mounted with pewter lid rims, with few or no body or lid protrusions, and were the mainstay of Schierholz’s character stein production. They are the easiest to find today as they were probably produced in larger number than other Schierholz styles. Most were decorated quite simply, often using the Schierholz trademark honey-toned coloration. Read more at the links below and Rich's Article just below:
Let's have a great turn-out! |
The Winzer Stube German Restaurant offers the most authentic and delicious German food and spirits this side of "The Rhine" and has been voted "Best German Restaurant" by City Search. The traditional German recipes are carefully recreated by owner Marie Schmidt directly from the Mosel, Rhein and Alsace regions of Germany. We will order off the menu! Located on the beautiful St. Croix River in Hudson, Wisconsin, you'll enjoy the comfortable ambiance and decor of Winzer Stube, with its delightful wine cellar atmosphere, friendly service, and great food. Combined with complete selection of German Wines, Beers, Ales and Liquors, and the Winzer Stube becomes an experience you won't soon forget. Map link available on Calendar page: |
Pretty Maids All in a Row By Rich Cress
By some form of serendipity, I bought all of the three Schierholz steins pictured in these photos within about eight weeks. So, who needs three identical Happy Munich Child steins anyway? Not me, but the prices were right, especially for the stein in the middle, the one that has just a little something extra, in the form of a barrel tap .
To my knowledge, this is the only example of this stein that includes a tap. Because it's made of porcelain and has identical coloring to the bung on the barrel, I'm guessing that it was made at the factory.
Perhaps as a trial piece, or more likely as a special order.
Even without the tap, these steins are anything but identical. Because they were hand painted, you can see many slight differences between them, especially in the coloring and in the quality of painting.
Interestingly enough, the stein with the tap also has the best painting, which may indicate that it was indeed a special order.
All three of these steins share what initially appears to be a defect on the underside of their lids. There is a very small spot that is unglazed, almost dead center. David Harr gave me the answer as to why the spot is there. The entire lid - base, barrel and Maid - had to be fired together, and Schierholz may have experienced some sagging problems, so at some point they included a ceramic "prop" under the lids in the kiln to help them fire perfectly. Some steins have this unglazed spot, while others have completely glazed underside lids without spots.
When I bought the first stein, I was concerned about this "defect,"
but when it also appeared on the others, I knew it was a factory thing, and just needed to find out what it was all about. My Unhappy Munich Child stein also has this same spot, even though she is smaller than her alter ego.
An Invitation from Die Lustigen Steinjäeger von Wisconsin-the 28th
Exciting news regarding our Saturday August 28th 
meeting at the Potosi Brewery also home to the
National Brewery Museum is in Potosi, Wisconsin
located along the Mississippi River.
Because there will be drinking involved throughout the afternoon I have reserved a Badger Bus motor coach to take us to and from the event. There will be two pick up points twoin Milwaukee and for those of us closer to Potosi and Madison there will be a pickup in Verona,Wisconsin. So just drop off your cars relax and chat to and from the Brewery. By the time we get back we should all be in fine shape to safely drive home. The Bus holds 47 people and with the bus full the cost will be $ 19.53 or about $20 per person. Pickup times at each location will be confirmed later. We will arrive about noon and have a German style meal. Our speaker will be from the National Brewery Association. This will be held in their private meeting room. We will be given a guided tour of the Museum. Then it will be on to the Brew Fest with our tasting glasses. We will have the chance to taste over 30 micro-breweries offerings while a German band in the beer garden is playing. We will have the private room at our disposal until 4:00 p.m. If you tire or want to take a break you can do so in air+conditioned comfort. The price of $40 per person is a great savings. The Brew Fest tickets alone are $35 without all the extras we are getting. Along with the tasting glass we will get a Potosi Brewery apron, we have a private room, lunch, speaker and tour of the museum. This should be an exciting full day excursion for us all. This will be much more than just a usual meeting. If you have friends that have been thinking of joining our club ask them along. The UMSOS has been invited if you are interested: send $40 per registration to Fred and JoAnn Ellis, W8737 Birdie Lane, Beaver Dam Wi 53916.
Beer and Wine Festivals
Germany is a nation dedicated to drinking and nowhere is this more apparent than in the country’s annual wine and beer festival circuit. Culminating in Munich’s Oktoberfest, there is some kind of beer or wine festival on virtually every weekend between now and October. Here’s our pick of the festivals:
1. Berlin Beer Festival 2010
Date: August 6-8
After Oktoberfest, the Berlin Beer Festival is one of the biggest German beer festivals around.
The festival boasts the longest beer garden in the world and has more than 2,000 different types of beer for you to taste from a total of 86 countries which should keep even the most hardened of drinkers amongst you happy!
However, if the lure of 2,000 different varieties isn’t enough, there’s also live music and regular shows throughout the weekend to keep you entertained.
Featuring beer, live music, sunshine and an expected million visitors from across the world, the Berlin Beer Festival really has it all!
2. Oktoberfest 2010
Date: September 18 – October 4
Oktoberfest is the daddy of all beer festivals with beer thirsty drinkers and curious travellers descending upon Munich from all over the globe year after year to ensure they take part in the world’s biggest celebration of beer.
This year’s festival is the 200th in its illustrious history and promises to be its biggest and best yet: 14 beer tents, thousand upon thousand of varieties of beer, live music and plenty of varieties of German sausage to help your body stem the steady flow of beer you’ll be throwing down your neck is enough to get anyone going.
With literally thousands of beers to choose from at Okotberfest, it’s hard to choose one beer to recommend, however the Löwenbräu and Paulaner always seem to go down well amongst the most popular with the beer guzzling locals and visitors.
Where to stay: Most Oktoberfest accommodation in Munich sold out long ago, however Munich hostels are still available including the Hotel Meininger which is offering a special discount on Oktoberfest accommodation this year.
3. Frankfurt Rheingau Wine Festival 2010
Date: September 1-10
This is a festival for those amongst you that prefer the more sophisticated taste of a good, full bodied wine to the wheaty taste of a lager.
Held this year in the week before Oktoberfest (1-10 September), the Frankfurt Frankfurt Rheingau Wine Festival is much more laid back than the beer festivals of Oktoberfest or Berlin but is no less enjoyable.
The emphasis is on the German produced wines of the Rheingau wine region and Reisling the tipple of choice but there will be over 600 wines in total to choose from, meaning there’s bound to be at least one that satisfies your taste buds!
Where to stay: Just 100 meters from the main train station in Frankfurt, Hotel Europa Frankfurt is our top rated Frankfurt hostel based on customer reviews and feedback.
Keramikmuseum Westerwald
THE SALTY SECRET OF GERMAN POTTERY
Siegburg DE Museum Stoneware Pottery
"following article from the New York Times"
While the Government in Bonn exhorts German workers to enter the computer age, potters in nearby H"ohr-Grenzhausen stubbornly cling to practices handed down from the Middle Ages. The salt-glazed gray pottery, with its curling blue flourishes and simple floral and leaf patterns, has been produced in this central German town since the 1500's. It is still molded by hand and fired in wood-burning kilns.
ELIZABETH KOLBERT is an American writer who lives in Hamburg. Few spots in the world possess a higher concentration of potters and pottery workshops than the town of Hohr-Grenzhausen and the surrounding region of Westerwald. The area contains abundant supplies of the essentials of pottery production - clay and wood - but little else. The relative poverty and seclusion of Westerwald spared the region from the plundering armies that destroyed much of Germany during the Thirty Years' War . After the war left most of the ceramic centers in the Rhine Valley in ruins, potters congregated in undisturbed Westerwald, and the area quickly attained the prominence it still enjoys.
Some say salt-glazing was first discovered by Dutch potters who noticed an interesting effect when they used old herring barrels to fuel their kilns - unglazed pots emerged with a shiny, but somewhat rough, finish. A salt glaze results when sodium combines at extremely high temperatures with the quartz in clay to produce a substance similar to glass. Chemically bound to the clay itself, the glaze provides an unusually strong finish.
Salt-glazing is responsible not only for the texture, but also for the gray and blue colors of Westerwald pottery. The salt combines with the clay only at temperatures over 2,200 degrees Fahrenheit, so only high-quality clay able to withstand such temperatures can be used. In Westerwald, the natural color of such clay is gray - hence the gray background of the pottery. Neither can most colored glazes stand up to 2,200 degrees. Cobalt blue is one of the few that does not simply burn off.
A good place to begin your visit to Hohr- Grenzhausen, today the center of traditional pottery production, is the Keramik-Museum Westerwald at Rathausstrasse 131,
Around 1600 many potters emigrated to Westerwald from
Siegburg, Raeren,and Lothringen bringing with them new tendencies in both art and craft.
Germany’s Harz regionIt's official: German beer is 'very good'
Published: 31 Jul 09 16:41 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/society/20090731-20955.html
Despite falling consumption, those who are still enjoying Germany’s beer can know that it's been given top marks from the national consumer watchdog association.
Daily newspaper Bild reported that Öko-test looked at flavour and ingredients of all its samples in the grading process, and 44 of the 46 beers were graded “very good.”
Those suffering from the recession will delight in knowing that even the “cheap beers” were graded well, such as the Original Oettinger and Sternburg Pilsener, which cost only 40 cents per litre.
When it came to pure taste, 38 beers were given top marks. The Ayinger Jahrhundert-Bier and Pinkus Special - both of which can only be found regionally - were the gold stars of the group. Only one beer, the Wicküler Pilsner, was put in the “satisfactory” category – the lowest mark available in Öko-test’s food and beverage rankings.
Beer lovers can also rejoice in knowing German brewers are putting the best ingredients in their beer. All but one beer, which had an incorrect alcohol percentage on the label, were given the “very good” score in the ingredients category.
The study concluded that there was little difference in quality between regional brands and internationally known brands like Becks, Bild reported.
The Local (news@thelocal.de)
Return of the Beer Stein Carrying Contest Video
1st unofficial attempt of the strongest Dutch ever Mr. Rob from Holland to set a new World record in carrying 22 of 1 ltr. beersteins. Unfortunately he failed....
Zigge-zagge, hoi,hoi,hoi
contact persons: Terry at: terryjk@amerytel.net, Henry at LJKEH@aol.com
Our Calendar of Events
About This Site
We are a group of stein collectors. As collectors our interests are varied, from all types of beer steins to related items and other antiques. Collector's are after all collectors, it is a state of mind. The purpose of this Upper Midwest Society of Steinologists web-site is to find others in our community who may have an interest in collectible beer steins, to provide some basic information about steins and then feature links to where you can find more information. If you have an interest in collectible beer steins we hope you will join us.
Chapter and Verse
August Chapter and Verse now loaded. Important article include chapter news, convention update,library news, and news from the webmaster.
About Us
Founded in 1968, our club has about 35 members that meet in March, May, September and November. Meetings include stein talk and interesting speakers and usually a pot luck meal. Members come from Minnesota and across the river in Wisconsin and Iowa too. Do check the "About Us" page of this website for pictures and more..
The 2010 SCI Convention will be held September 9-11
Myrtle Beach,
South Carolina
Note: Regular registration fee has been extended to August 16!
For more information email:
Chapter & Verse
The Newsletter from the Chapter Liason for SCI. This keeps us up to date on news from President, and various officers and updated on the annual convention.
Join Us Page
We are working hard to build our membership this year and we will welcome you heartily and introduce you to many other collectors. It is a fun and interesting group.
Membership in the Upper Midwest Society of Steinologists is $10 per year. That amount is for a single or a couple. Go to our membership page if you have any questions there is a place for you to join.
SCI Stein of Month
Mettlach Artillary Stein~
by Mark Fiebrandt
This month's stein is a beautiful antique Mettlach pottery beer tankard from Germany with pewter lid and thumb lift. This early 1900's beer mug has a transfer and hand painted scene of a German artillery howitzer known as Big Bertha. Shooting out of the cannon are the words Gruss aus Essen which means, Greetings from Essen. Also in the decoration are hops vines and the Essen city crest with a double headed eagle and sword.
Essen Germany is the town of the German firm Krupp, famous for their steel production and their manufacture of ammunition and armaments. Krupp produced most of the artillery of the Imperial German Army, including its big guns. The name "Big Bertha" (German: "Dicke Bertha"; literal translation "Fat Bertha") was commonly applied to a whole variety of large-calibre German artillery guns. It started in the year 1900 where Krupp armaments factory at Essen built a 350-mm howitzer that could fire an 800 lb shell over 10,000 yards. In 1902, Friedrich Krupp died leaving the Krupp industrial empire to his elder child Bertha Krupp, the sole proprietor. Although she maintained ownership until 1943, it was impossible for a woman to exercise control over the company. Therefore, Kaiser Wilhelm II arranged for Bertha to marry Gustav von Bohlen und Halbach, a professional diplomat of a good family and a familiar figure at the Kaiser's court. He added the name Krupp to his surname and assumed executive control of the company. The big guns most likely derived their nickname from Gustav's wife, Bertha.
Read more at www.steincollectors.org
David Harr Professional Pewter Restoration
Pewter Repair Services I Offer: I can attach a lid to your stein (either your original lid, your replacement lid, or a lid from my inventory), attach a thumblift to your stein (your original, your replacement, or one from my inventory), straighten or remove dents from pewter fittings, repair/restore your original pewter lid (modeling and casting) and more. I use chemicals to age my pewter repairs, and am usually able to match or reproduce the natural patina, although this cannot be 100% guaranteed. I do not sell parts, molds, chemicals or other supplies for pewter repair. steinsetc@charter.net
Future Conventions
2010 Myrtle Beach, Sc.
2011 New England area
(Every year since 1967
SCI has hosted an
annual convention).
Okay --Bathe in Beer
If finding out how beer is produced and drinking it by the barrel load at Okotberfest or a traditional German beer hall isn’t enough, why don’t you try bathing in it?
No jokes, apparently soaking in a tub of beer has health benefits and beer spas have begun appearing in parts of Austria, Germany and the Czech Republic in the past few years.
People have been bathing in beer at Kummeroer Hof for more 13 years now and reported benefits include easing eczema and helping fungal conditions.
It sounds disgusting but the smell of the beer and the warm sticky sensation is actually strangely satisfying. Beer bathing is something that really has to be experienced to be fully appreciated and certainly takes the phrase ‘beers on tap’ to another level!
Where to stay: Kummeroer Hof is in the small town of Neuzelle. There’s not much in town aside from the spa so you may prefer to stay in nearby Frankfurt. Alternatively, you can book yourself a Berlin Hostel and make a day trip out of visiting the spa.
Chapter links
The "Links Page" contains links to other stein collecting chapters in the US and in Germany.www.steinverin.com, www.erstegruppe.com www.keysteiners.8k.com These are just a few examples for more visit our links page.
Recent Videos
History of the Munich Child
All stein collectors are familiar with the picture of a child, dressed in a cowl, with radishes in one hand, a filled beer stein in the other, smiling devilishly from a stein decoration. The saying on the stein is usually Gruss aus München, or translated, "Regards from Munich". But how many collectors know that this figure is really a semi-comic take-off of the official Munich coat-of-arms?
Here are a few historic notes about Munich, its coat-of-arms, and the Munich Child (Münchner Kindl):
The first written proof of Munich as a small settlement of monks dates from 1158 A.D. With the increase of the population, the town administration developed a constitution of the council. Soon a seal was used to prove the authenticity of town-council documents. The oldest seal of Munich, of which only fragments are left, with the presumable inscription "Sigillum Civitatis Monacensis" and the picture of a monk wearing an open hood, appears on a document of May 28, 1239.
In the course of the following centuries a number of slightly varying representations of the seal were used. But all of them show the monk with the book (of city laws) in his left hand, while his right hand with three outstretched fingers is held up. Next to most of these seals is shown a town gate and an eagle, which, in the fourteenth century, is replaced by a lion (of the coat-of-arms of the reigning dynasty of the Wittelsbachs). For some time the monk was represented in profile, later full-face and bare-headed.
Colorful representations of the town coat-of-arms go back to the fifteenth century. From then on the features of the heraldic figure began to lose their serious character, the face became more youthful, the hair sometimes even curly.
The present form of the official coat-of-arms with a monk in black cowl, (law) book and blessing in right hand, was given to Munich by the reigning king, Louis I, on September 16, 1834. 
The dirndl
The dirndl originated as a simplified form of folk costume; the uniform of Austrian servants in the 19th century (dirndlegewand means "maid's dress"). Simple forms were also worn commonly by working women in plain colours or a simple check. Originally, each village had its own style and crest. The Austrian upper classes adopted the dirndl as high fashion in the 1870s. Today, dirndls vary from simple styles to exquisitely crafted, very expensive models.
Lederhosen
Traditionally, lederhosen were worn for hard physical work, since the ywere more durable than textile clothing and easier to clean. They were widespread among German men of the Alpine and surrounding regions, including Austria, the highlands and mountains of Southern Germany. The concept of Lederhosen as quintessentially Bavarian clothing, and their use at festive occasions rather than for work, dates largely from this time.
Of Historical Interest
Featuring local landmark the
Hamm's Brewery located
near the Swede Hollow area
of St. Paul.
General Stein Info
A bit of history and other
information about
Westerwald Pottery
steins (1600-1914)
Every Site Can Use a Recipe!
German Apple Tart Recipe
This traditional German recipe for making tarts is taken from the book "Cookery" by Amy G. Richards, published by E. M. Renouf, Montreal, in 1895.
Line a flat dish with 1 pound apples, 1/4 pound sugar, 1 gill water (1/4 pint), 1 oz candied peel. Put the sugar and water in a saucepan and boil until the sugar is dissolved. Peel and core the apples, slice them, and cook them in the syrup until tender. Beat them to a pulp. Cut the candied peel into thin slices, and place them on the pastry, pour over the apple mixture, ornament with pasty, and bake in a moderate oven half an hour.
And Updated from Joy of Baking
Apple Tart: Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Grease (or spray with Pam) a 9 inch (22 cm) springform pan.
Crust: In the bowl of your food processor place the flour and sugar. Pulse to blend together. Add butter
and pulse until dough just begins to come together. Pat the dough onto the bottom and one inch (2.5 cm) up the sides of the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator while you make the filling.
Filling: In a food processor process the cream cheese until smooth. Add the sugar and mix well. Blend in the egg and vanilla extract and process until smooth. Remove the crust from the fridge and pour in the filling. Return to refrigerator while you prepare the topping.
Topping: Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a large bowl. Toss the sliced apples in the sugar mixture. Spoon the apples evenly over the cream cheese layer and sprinkle with almonds. Place the springform pan on a larger baking sheet to catch the drips.
Bake at 450 degrees F (230 degrees C) for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown (apples are soft when pierced with a fork), and filling is almost set. Remove from oven and place on wire rack to cool. Sprinkle with confectioners sugar and serve at room temperature. Leftovers can be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated.
Makes 1 - 9 inch (22 cm) tart.
Crust:
1 cup (130 grams) all-purpose flour
1/3 cup (35 grams) confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) (113 grams) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Filling:
One 8-ounce (227 grams) cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated white sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Topping:
1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated white sugar
1/2 teaspoon (2 grams) ground cinnamon
4 cups (500 ml) Granny Smith apples, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch (.6 cm) slices (about 3-4 large apples)
1/3 cup (35 grams) sliced almonds
Read more: http://www.joyofbaking.com/AppleTart.html#ixzz0wsW8I4Ji
News from Germany
Click on any article below to learn more about the latest news from Germany in English from The Local.de. Headlines are updated hourly.
