Beer boots have been around for a least 150 years if not longer There have been examples of beer boot glasses from England dating back to the early 1800s. The glasses were used at hunting and riding clubs. These types of boot glasses are easily spotted as they have a riding spur strap that wraps around the heel of the boot (example below). The glasses are made from delicate mouth blown glass and are sometimes rimmed with silver. This of the early English boots ranges from 12-16 ounces. The English style of beer boot fell out of favor by the 1870s. In and around World War I, the German military adopted the use of beer boots as a popular rite of passage. Military commanders are reported to have promised to drink for a boot if a battle was won. Around this time, larger sizes of boots were developed perhaps to up the ante and to increase the bravado on could claim from finishing the larger amount of beer. . American GIs discovered beer boot while stationed in Germany during and after World War II. Many examples were sent back to the USA as war bounty. After the war and as Germany was rebuilt via the Marshall Plan, breweries used beer boots to promote their beer. The sizes ranged from 1-3 liters. As demand for this shape of beer glass increased, so did the number of glassware manufactures that produced them. After World War II, American’s brought the boot back to their home. Companies began producing and selling their own boots to beer drinkers Cowboy boots were even made & marketed across the Southwest. The boot really didn’t reach popularity in the United States, however, until the release of the movie 'Beerfest' in 2006. The movie depicts a German drinking contest, which culminates with chugging from a two-liter beer boot aptly named 'Das Boot' In the mid-1800s, beer boots make an appearance in Germany. These boots do not have the riding spur strap in the design. They appear to be a novelty amongst the beer drinking public at large. The glasses were made from mouth blown glass but switched to machine pressed glass when the technique was introduced from the United States in the 1850's. The early German boots are larger than their English counterparts with the average size being one liter or 33 ounces. In the 1950s, there are examples of beer boot steins made from ceramics produced in Japan. Around this time, cowboy western themed beer boots were produced in the USA for the south-west beer market. From the 1950s through 2006, beer boots were not commonly known outside of Germany. Beer stein collectors and fans of German beer may have been aware of them. This all changed in 2007 when the movie Beer Fest was released. A beer boot called Das Boot was introduced to the American public. Beerfest achieved cult status and the beer boot glass entered into the psyche of every beer drinker in the country. Since then, beer boots have become popular are German-themed restaurants and pubs, as 21st Birthday Gifts and as Groomsman Gifts Das Boot first appeared in England in the early 19th century They were riding boots and served at hunting lodges. They did not stay in fashion for very long, however. You can easily spot the English beer boots because the boot will have a spur strap and they are often rimmed with silver. These glasses are highly sought after by collectors. By the mid-19th century, the beer boot made its way to Germany and became very popular. The tradition of drinking beer from a boot started in the military as a hazing ritual. Young men were initiated into their troop by having to drink an entire boot of beer from the literal boot of a fellow soldier. This ritual became one of pride and congratulations. It is widely believed that generals would offer their troops the reward of drinking from the general’s own boot for a battle won. There is no record of that promise ever actually being fulfilled, however. Boots were later engraved and given as gifts to honor servicemen or retirees. After World War II, American’s brought the beer boot back to their home. Beer Boot Drinking Tips: Drinking from a beer boot can be a challenge. The obvious culprit is the boots’ toe-and-heel design. Using simple physics, the beer will flow faster if the toe is pointing towards the ceiling; however, this usually spills all over the drinker. It is the tendency for most novices to turn the toe up, but beware. This results in an uneven flow of the beer which will lead to air bubbles being released followed by a chugging sound and the drinker often getting soaked as pressure equalizes and beer surges forward towards the unsuspecting victim. What you should do is to hold the beer boot at an angle with the toe pointing downward. This allows for an easy transfer of pressure equalization and by using this position the boot can be easily emptied. Beer Boot Rules The boot may not touch the table until it is empty; you must flick the boot (traditionally for good luck) before passing it to the next player. You must not, at any time, spill, splash or drip beer from the boot. Failure to comply with these rules may automatically result in your being required to pay for the next round of drinks. The team boot game is like the speed-drinking game in the movie 'Beerfest', the only difference is that in the movie the two teams of equal numbers each drink a series of a filled boot in succession. In the team boot game, each player may only start drinking when the teammate to his right empties his boot, turns it upside down to prove that there is no beer left in it, and then sets it on the table. The first team to successfully empty all of their boots in this manner is the winner. Be warned that Team boot is a potentially dangerous drinking game, due to the amount of beer consumed at one time. Boot Circle: Goal of the game: Either finish the boot yourself or leave the next player with a challenging or impossible amount of beer to drink. The next-to-last drinker is the loser and is required to pay for the next round of drinks. The boot circle requires only a single beer boot. In this game, the person who empties the beer boot is the winner. The first player begins drinking from the boot and may pass it to his left or right at any time. When the next player receives the boot, he begins drinking and repeats the process. Boot Circle is best played with a 1 or 2-liter boot, depending on the number of people in the circle. Another rule of the boot circle game is that the winner of one round can make up a rule for the next round like saying something funny or standing on one foot. Team Boot A lot of people have contacted us and asked us for the rules of drinking from a German beer boot, or Das Boot. In case you don't know any, Germans love rules! With this in mind, rules must be employed when drinking from Das Boot The rules for a proper beer boot contest. They are as follows: - Das Boot can't touch the table until it is empty. - Once empty, you must flick the glass with your finger before passing the beer boot to the next person. This will bring you good luck. - Always hold Das Boot with the toe facing out when drinking. If the toe is pointed in any other direction, you will wear the beer rather than drink it. - If you get splashed in the face, you must drink again. - The person who drank from Das Boot immediately preceding the person to empty Das Boot must purchase the next fill. - If you break rules 2-4, you must drink again. - Never clink beer boots with other glassware or slam them on the table. They may break - therefore ending the contest. How to Drink from a Beer Boot Many of you are probably wondering how do you drink from a beer boot? If you have seen the comedy 'Beerfest', your question about 'Das Boot' has already been answered. When drinking in a group, the boot is passed around in a circle and a game is played to determine who pays for the next beer. The second to last person to drink is the loser and has to purchase the next beer. Therefore, there are two strategies to the game. One either tries to finish the boot in one drink without it spilling any, or one drinks as little ones as possible and hopes that the next person in line doesn't try to drink the boot empty. The Solution: How to Drink From a Beer Boot The trick to avoiding a shamefully dampened shirt is to release the bubble slowly. Start drinking from the beer boot with the toe pointed directly away from you. As the bubble moves down the glass, gradually rotate the boot 90 degrees in either direction so that by the time the bubble reaches the toe, the toe is pointing to the right or left. This lessens the pressure, ensuring a smooth drinking experience. The trick is to slowly turn the beer boot as you reach that last bit of beer in the toe, thereby avoiding pressure build up and the unexpected, embarrassing beer shower that results. What’s With the Name ‘Das Boot’? In the United States, we use the term 'das boot' to describe a beer boot, but that actually translates to boat in German. Das Boot also happens to be the name of a novel about a World War II German U-boat as well as its film adaptation. Apparently, whoever first ascribed das boot to a beer boot was more concerned with marketability than accuracy. Beer boots, or 'das boots, ' as they are affectionately referred to, have been popular at beer festivals and rowdy parties in the United States for decades. Made of glass and often oversized they are typically used jocularly—that is, for drinking games or in macho displays of drinking prowess. Beer Boot History: Despite their kitschy appeal stateside, the bierstiefel (the proper, German word for 'beer boot') is an authentic piece of Bavarian beer culture with a somewhat murky origin story. Most sources credit a Prussian general for starting the glassware trend. According to legend, he promised his troops he would quaff a beer from his own leather boot in exchange for a win on the battlefield. When his men proved victorious, he commissioned a glass likeness of his boot to spare himself the displeasure and humiliation of drinking foot beer from the real deal. From there, it is believed the glass gained popularity, and in time, it was folded into Oktoberfest traditions. The beer boot eventually made its way to North America thanks to the returning World War II soldiers who observed the tradition while serving overseas. The Beer Boot Tale: The act of drinking from a boot may, in fact, root deeper than said tale would leave one to believe. There are people who theorize about these things, and some of them posit that forcing a comrade to drink from stinky footwear as a show of initiation or punishment might have been a medieval form of group hazing. Further, archaeological evidence suggests people of Central Europe have been making shoe-shaped vessels for centuries. Whether those vessels held beer or not is anyone’s guess. The Secret Beer Boot Prank Shhh: It is an old joke to hand the boot to a young novice drinker with the tip pointing away from his person, which will result in beer pouring over the drinker's face uncontrollably when air enters the tip; seasoned drinkers always point the tip towards their body until the glass is sufficiently drained. 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