The Beer Stein Library

The Beer Stein Library (BSL) was designed to provide basic and advanced info on all categories of German beer steins.  A photo of almost any beer stein can be found from the mold number usually on the base of the stein and/or the manufacturer’s identification mark.  One or more photos of the stein with a description and a translation of the German verse if there is one on the stein.  Pictured above are three examples from the extensive “Mettlach Catalog,” and there are thousands of steins from other manufacturer’s catalogs.

Visit the Beerstein Library

About the Beer Stein Library

The Beer Stein Library (BSL) began its existence in late 1997 with the purpose of providing a central repository for information about the hobby of beer stein collecting, including scholarly articles and catalogs containing both photographs and descriptions of individual beer steins. Over the years the Library has grown to include some two dozen such catalogs listing over 10,000 steins, with more than 25,000 photos, as well as the highly-regarded Westerwald Beer Stein Handle Gallery, an unparalleled manufacturer identification tool.

In the fall of 2019, Beer Stein Library founder Frank Loevi’s generosity provided for the acquisition of the Library by the American Museum of Ceramic Art. It complements the Robert D. and Colette D. Wilson collection of Mettlach Ceramics acquired by the museum in 2011. Loevi continues to be an active participant in the stewardship and development of the Library.

Founder and Contributors

The BSL was initially conceived by Frank Loevi, retired CEO of a company that provided electronic research systems to the federal government. An avid stein collector since the mid-1980s, Frank’s decision to develop the site was based on the conclusion that his background put him in a unique position to spend his retirement years marrying computers and the Internet to the hobby he loves.

Over the years literally hundreds of collectors, far too numerous to mention here individually, have donated their time and expertise to this continually expanding web site, including no small number who have devoted substantial effort to specific projects and whose names can be found associated with those projects throughout the site. Without their help, the Beer Stein Library would not exist.