How It All Started

It began in June 2002, on holiday in Italy. I ordered a draught Bitburger, and it arrived in a beautiful glass with a golden logo — the very one in the photograph. Something about it caught me. On impulse, I asked the waiter whether I could buy it. Collecting beer glasses was the last thing on my mind at that moment; I simply wanted that glass. After checking with the owner, the waiter kindly handed it over, free of charge. Back at the hotel I set it on the table and decided it would make a fine souvenir.

The next day I spotted Bitburger on draught again, and curiosity got the better of me — perhaps they had other interesting glasses? This time the beer arrived in a different one, a flute-type glass, and it looked just as lovely. The same little ritual followed: I asked, and the waiter kindly gave it to me as well. It was then that the thought struck me — this could become a collection. By the end of that trip I had brought home more than 10 glasses from different brands of beer. And that is how I got into collecting beer glasses!