A beer mat, also known as a bonfire or beermat, is a coaster for a glass of beer. The name comes from the German Bierdeckel – “beer lid”. At first, beer mats were actually called lids for beer mugs. They were needed to prevent dust, debris, or insects from getting into the beer.
Richer people used silver or tin lids. Commoners were served beer with felt lids. They were also placed under glasses in pubs so that heavy mugs would not scratch wooden tables and they would not be damaged by drips. But this was also inconvenient, because the coasters had to be washed.
Important! The Saxon Robert Sputh invented the disposable coaster. At the end of the 19th century, he patented the technology for their production. A special composition was poured into round molds, it dried overnight, and the result was disposable cardboard coasters. It was from this time that the beer coaster finally turned from a lid into a coaster.
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What is a mat for a glass used for?
Nowadays, beer coasters are mainly used for the following purposes.
- In cafes, to protect tables from excess moisture and scratches. Cardboard mats have been replaced by mats made of hygroscopic material, which is designed to prevent excess water or condensation from getting on the table. It absorbs moisture much faster and provides a softer contact of the glass with the table surface.
- As a decorative element. A coaster for a regular beer glass can decorate the interior. This is especially true for wooden, leather and porcelain coasters, which are made at a high level of craftsmanship. Rare cardboard beer coasters can also decorate the premises of a house or cafe.
- As collectibles.
Please note! Beer coaster collectors are called tegestologists (from the Latin "tegestis" - rug). By the way, "beer mat" is one of the names of coasters, translated from English as "beer mat". And in 1958, a society of collectors of beer paraphernalia, including beer coasters (IBV) was founded in Germany. In 1960, a similar society appeared in Great Britain.
What shapes are coasters?
The most common forms.
- Round – historically the first form. Such coasters were already produced by Robert Shput. They repeat the shape of the lid for a beer mug, which gave them their name.
- Square.
- With rounded corners.
Less common are substrates of other shapes.
- Oval.
- Triangular;
- Irregularly shaped. For example, in the form of a beer mug or a maple leaf. These are usually made to order.
- In the form of postcards or even puzzles, these coasters are used in pubs to entertain customers.
Dimensions and weight of beer glass mats
The first mats for glasses, which were produced at the Shput production facility, were 10.7 cm in diameter and 5 mm thick. Now round beer coasters are produced with a diameter from 90 mm to 110 mm. Square ones can be 9x9 cm in size. But the determining factor is still the size of the beer mug.
The weight varies depending on the material. For example, light wood (acacia, cork) is usually used for wooden coasters. Cardboard coasters usually do not exceed 5 g in weight and are from 0.9 to 1.8 mm thick.
Leather mats range in thickness from 1.8 to 5.5 mm (depending on the material and quality of the leather). They can be heavier than cardboard ones due to the characteristics of the material.
Attention! Do not confuse a beer coaster with a pilsdekhen – a paper drip catcher on the stem of a glass. A pilsdekhen is usually round, has shaped edges and a hole for the stem. It is made only of paper.
Beer Coaster Materials
Wooden coasters for glasses
Coasters made of wood are the easiest to make. You can make them yourself, for example, from a tree cut. But wooden birmats can also be highly valued among tegestologists. This depends on the place and time, as well as the quality of their manufacture.
Interesting fact! The first mass production of wooden coasters was launched at the factory of Casimir Katz in 1903. The owner of a sawmill in Weisenbach began producing coasters not by pouring them into molds and drying them, but in a new way. They were simply cut out of thin sheets of spruce wood. This method made it possible to produce large quantities of beer coasters at once. The Katz Group still owns two-thirds of the world's beer coaster production.
Cardboard backings
Nowadays, they use "beer cardboard", mainly of German manufacture. According to the manufacturers, such coasters can absorb moisture up to 300% of their own weight. Cardboard mats are the cheapest, and usually disposable. But they can also become a collectible. The reason for this is that since the time of Robert Shput, they have been printed with a picture.
At first, these were just stamps that were applied to each individual coaster, and the printing was one-color. Since the 1970s, the design has been printed on a whole sheet from which coasters were cut out. Thanks to offset printing technology, the designs have become multi-colored. Now silkscreen printing on mats has become a mass production.
It is an honor for a collector to have a mat with a stamp for his collection, which indicates that the coaster was produced at the beginning of the last century. Some collect coasters with drawings by artists or coasters from different countries of the world.
Please note! It is important to distinguish between the terms "beer coaster" and "bonfire". They are not synonyms. A bonfire is a reusable stand, usually made of leather, wood or porcelain. Thus, a bonfire is a type of beer coaster, but not every beer coaster is a bonfire.
Coasters made of cowhide
Leather coasters, unlike cardboard ones, are reusable and can last almost forever. They are treated with a special compound with water-repellent properties, so they do not absorb water, and therefore do not deteriorate from moisture.
You won't see them in a regular pub, due to the high cost of such a koster. Some of them are one-of-a-kind items, and are real works of art due to the level of leather finishing and embossing on them.
Birmats can also be made from other materials.
- Porcelain - rare porcelain coasters are now valued by tehologists.
- The fabric is usually thick, but this resemblance to old felt rugs is rare.
- Plastic, which is used now because it is cheap, etc.
Some collectors collect coasters made only from a certain material, such as wood or porcelain.
Interesting fact! The world's largest collection of coasters belongs to Vienna resident Leo Pisacker. The record collection includes more than 140 thousand coasters from 150 countries.
Thus, the beer coaster has gone from being a simple lid for a glass of beer to a collectible, and sometimes almost a work of art.
