Stealing beer mugs is a kind of national sport in Munich, a sin with a centuries-old tradition. The one-liter mugs with their big eyes and brewery crests are simply too tempting for (drunk) tourists and some locals to not let them disappear in their backpack, under their jacket or disguised as a beer belly under their sweater . The jugs are said to be particularly popular as a souvenir among Chinese and Americans.
But a pensioner from the US state of Wyoming has now taken hold of a guilty conscience: he made a confession by letter to the state-run Hofbräuhaus in Munich. During a visit in 1972, when he was still a college student, which may excuse the act as a youthful sin, he stole a stein from the brewery. To this day it still stands in his house in the American outskirts. Whether beer is still drunk from it is unclear.
The pensioner pays a $50 fine
In his letter, the pensioner writes: “I apologize for leaving the Hofbräuhaus with a bluish stein with your HB logo. I took it with me without paying for it.” He enclosed a $50 bill with the letter as a voluntary fine. “I believe the attached amount covers the costs. Please forgive my tactlessness.” He signs the confession: “A stupid college student.”
It was well received by those who were robbed, says Tobias Ranzinger from the Hofbräuhaus on the phone. “We laughed and were happy about the honesty.” As a thank you, he sent the pensioner a letter with a free beer coin. “We would be happy if he made his way to Munich again and had a beer with us.”
The stone jugs from back then no longer exist today; they were replaced with glass jugs at the behest of the city in 1972 for the Summer Olympics in Munich. The guests should be able to see better whether the mugs are clean and the beer has been poured properly. Despite their age, the jugs are not a rarity, says Ranzinger. “They’re not worth that much, $50 should easily be enough.” The money will now be used to buy school bags for children in need.
Today the stone jars are safe
However, how many mugs come out of the Hofbräuhaus each year remains a secret. If the security service catches thieves, he politely takes the beer mug from them and sends them to the souvenir shop next door, where stone mugs and glass mugs can be bought. “Then you won’t have a guilty conscience 50 years later.” The fact that mug thieves suddenly show remorse, especially in old age, is not an isolated case. Recently, an older woman sent a stein back to the Hofbräuhaus in a package. She also came from the USA and stole the mug as a college student in the late 1960s.
Basically, Steinkrugs in the Hofbräuhaus now only have regular customers. Of the approximately 3,500, 616 can lock their stone jars in compartments with a padlock. At least these pitchers are considered safe.