A beer boot () is a boot-shaped Beer glassware. Beer boots exist in sizes ranging from up to , but is a more typical size. Beer boots are commonly consumed communally and are popular with younger people as part of .
Production
Because of their shape, beer boots are often made from
Glassblowing or
pressed glass.
Origin
Shoe- or boot-shaped drinking containers have a long tradition; archaeologists have found examples at
Urnfield culture sites in Unterhautzenthal near
Korneuburg in
Lower Austria or at the
Glauberg in
Hesse,
Germany.
In Asia Minor, shoe-shaped drinking vessels have been found dating to the early 2nd millennium BCE; others, dating to the early 1st millennium BCE have been found in
Azerbaijan,
Armenia, and
Urartu sites near
Lake Van.
Similar glasses are attested into the middle ages. The modern beer boot takes its form from the Hessian boot, which saw military use into the 19th century. Drinking from shoes was a common hazing ritual in the military, and which spread further through German student fraternities.
Use
Due to the size and volume, a beer boot is usually consumed communally. When drinking, if the toe of the boot is facing away from the drinker, a portion of the beer is held at low pressure in the toe. When the air reaches the toe, the beer can rush out into the face of the drinker.
The use of beer boots featured prominently in the 2006 film Beerfest.
