A beer stein is a traditional mug made in Germany, most beer steins are made from German clay or glass, with pewter lids. However they can also be made from porcelain, wood, silver, crystal glass or stoneware.

Print off what you want to etch, then cut it out. Cut out a piece of vinyl slightly bigger than your design. Tape your design to the vinyl then tape one side onto the glass. Peel the wax paper off then carefully apply the vinyl onto the glass.

The dimples prevent the glass slipping out of the fingers in a washing-up bowl, and the design of the glass emphasises strength, also to withstand frequent manual washing. These design features became less important when manual washing was superseded by machine washing from the 1960s onwards.

As you hold and drink a beer, the ambient air and your hand both warm the beverage inside the glass. The thicker the glass, the less thermal transfer there is and the longer your beer stays at the proper temperature.