“Why don’t we have such nice mugs?” asks a Oktoberfest host who serves one of the other five official Munich beers: Hacker-Pschorr, Paulaner, Spaten, Löwenbräu and Hofbräu. We’re talking about the Augustinian glass jug. This is only available at Oktoberfest in the Augustiner Festival Hall itself and in the Fischer-Vroni, as far as the large tents are concerned. Of course, “beautiful” is a flexible term. Because most people won’t be able to tell the difference at all, apart from the brewery’s logo. And the Oktoberfest host mentioned above is also surprised that the new type of Augustiner glass jug has been available at the Oktoberfest since 2019.
What makes it “beautiful” in the beer drinker’s sense is the slightly thinner base and slightly larger diameter compared to the normal beer mug. At the same time, the Augustiner stein is just as high as the steins of all other breweries. Which means: Actually, something more fits into it. Now Oktoberfest hosts are not necessarily keen on filling a mug with more beer than is necessary. It’s not just the association against fraudulent pouring that sees it this way, which is why the city’s district administration department has been carrying out such strict dispensing controls at Oktoberfest for decades, with spot checks several times a day and its own dispensing scale for each type of mug.
However, the reason why Augustiner’s jug is better received is that there is a so-called “calibration line” that indicates exactly the filling level of one liter. In a normal beer jug, it is located above the so-called pliers rim, the continuous ring that is located in the upper fifth of the jug. Because the Augustiner jug has a slightly larger capacity, the calibration line slides under the edge of the pliers. As a result, there is more space at the top of the jug for the foam head, and it just looks much better. On top of that, Augustiner has traditionally served its beer from wooden barrels at the Oktoberfest since 1867; It usually foams a little more than that from the large container tanks in the other tents. These make it easier to regulate the pressure.
It’s the same height as the Augustinian jug, but has less capacity: a glass jug from Spaten.
(Photo: Robert Haas)
For the last four years, the Augustinian mugs have also differed from those of other tents in other ways. Not only do you find the legally required measurements stamped on the floor, but also the words “Augustiner Bräu” and above the handle a bishop’s crook, which is part of the brewery’s logo.
Munich’s oldest brewery also has a special feature at the Oidn Wiesn, where the beer is served in traditional stoneware mugs. There is not just one version of the jug there, but now eight. “Our earthenware jugs in the Tradition marquee at the Oidn Wiesn are decorated with motifs from around 1900,” says spokeswoman Claudia Winkler, “some of which are original templates and some of which are our own designs based on original motifs from that time .” Depending on requirements, further motifs will follow in the future.