Cleaning Your Beer Stein for Oktoberfest

September 26, 2024

Cleaning your beer stein is a good idea at any time of year, but a dirty or stained stein during Oktoberfest is unacceptable. The problem is that cleaning a beer stein can be a challenge. Many are old, most are decorated, some even hand-painted, and they are made from several different materials. Knowing how your stein was made and what it’s made of is critical to cleaning it. Here are a few suggestions for cleaning your beer stein, but first what makes a beer stein, a beer stein?

What is a Beer Stein?

A traditional beer stein is a sturdy mug with a hinged lid. The word “stein” is German for “stone,” and the term may come from “Stein Krug,” which means “stone jug,” or “Steingut,” which means “stone goods.” The earliest beer steins, dating to the 14th century, were mostly earthenware or stoneware. Since then, traditional beer steins have also been porcelain, pewter, ceramic, and more.

Steins typically range in size from half a liter to a full liter. Most traditional steins have a hinged lid, which is often conical or tiered in shape and may have engravings or decorations. Steins can be decorated in various ways, including hand-painted. They can be themed around holidays, wildlife, military, or sports.

One theory is that steins were invented during the bubonic plague to keep flies out of the beer. They became a major European product in the 19th century and are now a worldwide symbol of German culture. 

Cleaning Your Beer Stein with Bar Keepers Friend

As always, we recommend testing BKF products on a small, inconspicuous spot of the surface you want to clean. If your stein is in poor condition (for example, if the engravings or decorations are peeling or highly faded), it’s best not to use BKF,  as it could scratch the surface. However, if your stein is in good condition, BKF can make it shine.

Cleaning a Stoneware Stein

We recommend Bar Keepers Friend Granite & Stone Cleaner & Polish for stoneware steins. Spray it on the stein and let it sit for about one minute. Gently rub the surface with a non-abrasive cloth or sponge until clean and dry, then polish the stein using a microcloth. Depending on the condition, it may require more than one cleaning.

Cleaning a Ceramic Stein

For your ceramic steins, we would recommend  The Original Powder Cleanser. If your stein is deeply stained, however, you might consider using BKF Cookware Cleanser. It has 50% more surfactant than our standard cleansers, which makes it ideal for removing many types of stains. Wet the stein, apply the Cookware Cleanser, and wipe it with a non-abrasive sponge or soft cloth. Be sure to rinse thoroughly.

Cleaning a Porcelain Stein

Porcelain is another material that can be cleaned well with Bar Keepers Friend. It’s cleaned porcelain sinks and removed marks from porcelain dishware for over a century – so why wouldn’t it clean up those porcelain steins? Make a paste of the powder with water and wipe it on your stein. The key to cleaning your stein with the original BKF is to never let the paste sit longer than about one minute. Next, all you do is rinse and wipe it off with a soft cloth or paper towel.  Our BKF MORE Spray + Foam is another great option. If you set the nozzle to foam, the cleaner will better stick to horizontal sides.

Cleaning a Pewter Stein

Although you can find examples online of customers using BKF on pewter, we do not recommend it. Here’s how Molly Maid recommends cleaning your pewter beer stein: polishing your Pewter Tankard.

While researching this post, I learned a few things. For example, did you know Oktoberfest begins in September? “In 2024, the 189th Oktoberfest will take place from September 21 to October 6.” — Oktoberfest Munich Official Site.

Do you have a beer stein you’ve cleaned with a BKF product? If so, we’d love to hear from you. And if you have photos, you can upload them here.

Cheers!

About the Author 

Randy Clark is a speaker, coach, and author. He publishes a weekly blog at Randy Clark Leadership.com. Randy is passionate about social media, leadership development, and flower gardening. He’s a beer geek, and on weekends (after COVID-19), he can be found fronting the Rock & Roll band Under the Radar. He’s the proud father of two educators; he has four amazing grandchildren and a wife who dedicates her time to helping others. Randy is the author of the Amazon bestseller The New Manager’s Workbook: A crash course in effective management.