Maß

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The title of this article contains the character ß. Where it is unavailable or not desired, the name may be represented as Mass.

A Löwenbräu Stoneware Maß and a tourist shown for scale

The Maß ("measure") is an Austro-Bavarian unit of volume, 1.069 litres, used when measuring beer. This is equivalent to 2.259 US pints, or 1.881 UK pints (the most common pint encountered when discussing beer). Nowadays, a Maß is referred to as 1.0 litre.

Maß can also refer to the mug one drinks beer out of at a Bavarian beer garden, often called a stein by English speakers.

There are two designs of the Maß itself: Made of stoneware or made of glass. A stoneware mug can be referred to as a Steinkrug or "Keferloher". A 1-litre glass mug is referred to as a "Glaskrug." The glaskrug is the mug most often used in Beergardens or at home. The stoneware Maß is still used, but most of the time a tourist article. Many are designed for decorative use only. Old or collectible Maß with lead-based firing glaze should not be used for drinking.

Some beergarders or restaurants have spaces they rent out to patrons where they can store their glaskrug or Maß. For a small monthly rent the establishment will wash your mug and keep it safe for you until you return. Sometimes the rent goes up with the prominence of the storage location.

The normal Maßkrug is decorated with a print of the sign of the brewery. On the upper end, a calibration mark is found to which the beer must be filled when served. If a Maß belongs to a person then often a lid made of tin is attached. These lids bear engravings, usually the initials of the person it belongs to and some kind of funny engraving that gives a hint to the owners profession, wit or affections.

Usually, there is no plural for Maß. "Zwei Maß" will yield two, "Zehn Maß" will yield ten.

To order you could say "Eine Maß Augustiner, bitte" for instance if you wanted the beer Augustiner (and note, while "der Maßkrug" is male, a Maß of beer is referred to as female - "Die Maß". Whoever orders a Maß of beer as "Ein Maß" instead of "Eine Maß" would out himself as non-Bavarian. A half-litre is called a "Halbe".