Beer Boot Buying Guide

The Oktoberfesthaus Beer Boot Buying Guide

Beer boots are usually made of glass. They are either mouth blown or machine pressed. The real difference being where the seam ends up.

If the seam runs right down the middle of the boot, splitting it right in two, then it is a machine pressed boot. This means that two half boot molds were formed and pressed together by a machine. The seam on a mouth blown boot goes down the sides of the length of the boot.

The toe doesn't have any seams on the mouth blown boots because that is the only part of the boot that is actually "mouth blown", with the glassmaker blowing air directly into the molten glass, usually after its placed in a mold.

Mouth blown beer boots tend to be more delicate than the machine pressed boots since they are made by hand and subject to human inconsistencies.

Beer boot history

Beer boots are a German invention where they are called a “Bierstiefel”, however there are varying historical explanations.

The history of beer boots is centered around the German military towards the beginning of the 20th century.

As with many “traditional” and informal sources the veracity of such claims may be disputable but the tradition itself does have a cultural source.

One Tradition holds that a Prussian general swore to his troops that he would drink beer from his boot dependent on the successful outcome in a coming battle.

When victorious, the general ordered a glass fashioned in the shape of a boot to fulfill his promise without “having to taste his own feet”.

Another tradition holds that the beer boot began during World War I when German soldiers, having nothing else to drink from, instead passed around an actual leather boot of beer before heading into battle. They would flick the boot before drinking from it for good luck and again after drinking to wish next soldier good luck.

Differences in beer boots:

Mouth Blown Beer Boots The European made mouth blown beer boot is where it all began. Mouth blown beer boots are individually hand crafted by skilled artisan glass makers in the finest German, Austrian and Polish glass factories.

Mouth blown boots are of heirloom quality although as with any hand made glass, it is perfectly normal to find slight abnormalities such as air bubbles and ridges in the glass. Mouth blown beer boots are very fragile and the utmost of care should be used during their use.

Oktoberfest Haus carries the 2 liter mouth blown beer boot both blank and with a variety of Germany brewery logos.

Machine Pressed Beer Boots Machine pressed beer boots can withstand more abuse than their mouth blown counterpart. Machine pressed beer boots are available in our store in the following sizes:

• 3 liter beer boots
• 2 liter machine pressed beer boot – Das Boot
• 1 liter and smaller machine pressed beer boots
• Shot glass size beer boot

How To Drink From A Beer Boot

The movie Beerfest popularized the theory that “the secret” to drinking out of a beer boot is to point the toe sideways. As beer is consumed out of a beer boot, an air pocket forms in the toe. This air pocket needs to be carefully released to prevent spilling all over the drinker and the standard trick is to hold the boot so that the toe points to either side horizontally.

While this certainly does help prevent beer spilling all over the drinker, we leave it up to you to decide how to drink your beer boot as some prefer the added challenge of “toe up” rules.

Selecting your Beer Boot

The most important considerations when selecting which beer boot you want to buy are as follows:

1. Size: Our Beer Boots range from shot glass size all the way to 3 liter boots that can hold more than 8 beers.

2. Machine Pressed versus Mouth Blown: Do you want seams up and down the side of your boot (Mouth Blown) or cutting right through the middle of the toe (Machine Pressed)? Do you want your boot to be more durable and uniform (Machine Pressed) or more Fragile and prone to flaws (Mouth Blown)? Basically, do you prefer man or machine?

3. Country of Origin: Boots are usually either produced in Germany or China. This distinction usually effects cost.

4. Glass or Plastic: Most boots are made of glass, but we offer Plastic Beer Boots with Lanyards that can hang around your neck at your next party.

5. Blank or stylized: Do you want your Beer Boot to be free of decoration or do you want it to have an emblem, badge or logo on it? You can even personalize some of our beer boots.

If you need more assistance with your selection please contact us - 877-577-2801 .