Coasters, Slogans, and Marketing

Their Use and Value

Beer coasters, items that are there, but rarely contemplated. It's like the old college students' philosophical answers: "Why not," or "Because." However, the time has come to consider beer-coasters, - BECAUSE!

I've always viewed beer coasters as items placed under your beer, glass, mug or bottle, to absorb any spillage or sweating of the glass. However, there are many additional, and strange functions for beer coasters: for games, for table levelers, for covers for you stein, for a tally of your drinks by the waitress, for collecting, for your reading pleasure, and undoubtedly many other uses. For instance:

Let's play frizbee with the coasters, - adults in bars seem to enjoy this game more than kids. Or let's flip the coaster(s) hanging over the edge of the table with the back of your fingers, and catch them in the air with the same hand, each time adding an additional coaster. I recall that I once managed to catch a stack of twenty some odd at one time. What a competition materializes! What laughter when you miss, or shouts of delight when you catch them! What a demand for another beer!

But everyone knows that the real function of a beer coaster is to level the table, placing just the proper number of coasters under the proper leg(s). It may be needed to use two different types of coasters with different thickness to properly level a really problematical table, a real engineering feat, taught at many collegiate Ratskellars.

And, of course, in every Austrian/Bavarian beer-garden the coaster becomes a Deckel (roof or covering) to be placed over the stein to keep the flies out of the beer, the contributions from the birds above the table in the ever-present chestnut tress, and even soap-bubbles. Soap Bubbles? I remember an evening in Hirschgarten, Munich when a father, most perturbed at his son who was blowing soap-bubbles near the table, screamed "I mag koa Bier mim Seifeblasen d'rin" (I don't want beer with soap bubbles in it).

The true use of a beer-coaster is for the waitress' book-keeping, a tally of your beers, specifically what you owe at the end of the evening. In the true Gasthaus, the coaster is the Fräulein's method of counting your drinks and food - your growing "tab." A diagonal mark on the coaster indicates a "normales Helles," and an "x" indicates a Weißbier. Food is indicated by the actual amount in Schilling and Groschen (dollars and cents). Interestingly no one tampers with this accounting system; it is sacred and your honor is at stake. This is because only the regulars receive this tradiional treatment. Tourists pay "up front." Having established our trustworthiness and honor over many years, we have been known to leave, slightly inebriated after two beer (in bavaria you never drink more than two beer, the first and the last). But on the next visit to the Gasthaus the Fräulein casually commented about our bill from our previous evening of enjoyment, - no pressure, no anger, no animosity, simply, you old drunk, your forgot to pay! This is the added value and need for beer coasters.

Yet the marketing experts spend days, and even sleepless nights coming up with the proper slogans on the coasters, the photos with the greatest impact, all for the bottom of the table leg, or the Fräulein to tally your purchases. I do admit, that Edelweiss produced a total "show stopper, a "Blond in Chains" (see below), and virtually everyone was not only intrigued by the Blond, but demanded a translation. Forget an elegant old Schloß (castle), a photo of a historic event, a unique and distinctive Wappen (emblem), or even an old bavarian in Lederhosen climbing the Alps, - give us a "Blond in Chains." There have been other coasters from the Brau A.G. for their beers, Edelweiss and Kaiser, with information on each particular beer, such as "Bier Information Nr. 2," (never did find Nr. 1), and so forth. The latest, not worth showing here, has a circle in the middle of the coaster with the words inscribed within the circle:

Should no Edelweiss be here, either
someone was faster than you, or
you haven't yet ordered one!"

Collectors

There are collectors of these items, some serious and others quite non-chalant, and with further thought there are additional stories told from beer coasters, such as the history of marketing, image and enticement of the product involved.

Collectors themselves range from the casual to the very serious. The casual collector visits all of the beer events, tastings, festivals, as well as bars and restaurants, here and abroad, and take any and all coasters that they see. Then at the next event, they accumlate more, frequently unaware of what they already have. However, many happy people have their "personal collection." Some are undoubtedly more than just a conversation piece at the local "Koffee Katsch," but are of some value. Regardless, they are collectors, proud of their acquisitions, and that makes the breweries and marketeers delighted also.

The serious collectors have established a commeraderie with other collectors, are aware of what they have, have documented their collection, are aware of the value of each item, trade them, and are intense in the building of a collection. I assume that they have a detailed knowledge of all beer-coasters from the non-descript, generic ones to the exotic ones representing specific and even historic events. For the serious collector, I know nothing, but, as with any field of endeavor, respect their dedication, information, and professionalism.

 PA'S COLLECTION:

Beer coasters are also referred to as beer mats, Bieruntersetzer, Bier Deckel, Bier Filzen, etc. While I have been an ardent collector of German Bieruntersetzer for decades, I viewed the majority of them strictly from the practical side, - use them and dump them! I have, however, retained a few of three types, 1- especially attractive ones, 2- a complete set from the Munich Olympiade of 1972, and co-incidentally 3- a few from each change of design for Edelweiss Weizenbier since its inception, or at least its return to popularity, ca. ten years or more ago.

In retrospect I have used and discarded more "valuable" coasters than I wish to recall. I do however, have portions of sets, four from the historic brewery Weihenstephan (a branch of the University of Munich where the brewmasters obtain their doctorates in beer brewing) showing the Trachten (traditional dress) of specific areas in Austria and Bavaria, with the coasters dated 1982 - 1986, and another group characterizing Alpine beer traditions in caricature.

 

I know that I had other great ones such as several from a series from "A Baier im Himmel," based on a famous Munich drinking character, and also some from great castles in the vicinity of Düsseldorf. But they went the way that they were designed to go, supporting a table leg or they flew across the beer-garden, either blown by the wind or tossed as a Frizbee - to be retained only in my mind. Clearly no reverence on my part, - tut, tut!

Again with my newly found interest and awareness of the value of beer coasters, to my chagrin, I never kept the coaster from Luisenbräu in Berlin, a Hausbrauerei (an in-house microbrewery). One evening six of us consumed over sixty beers, and they were all tabulated on the coaster, actually two coasters. In reality this was a small amount for a Bavarian, since one beer in Berlin was only 1/5 of a liter, and in Bavaria and Austria one beer is a full liter. Hence five beers at Luisenbräu equalled one beer in Salzburg or Munich. Neverhteless it sure looked impressive (?), over sixty beer accounted for on the coaster, and we weren't even regulars. "Wenn ich doch das Bierfilze hätte! (If only I still had that coaster!).

The only set that I seriously collected was the complete set of coasters representing the twenty events of the Munich Olympics, 1972. This was a real feat with no recollection as to how many steins of beer it took. Each coaster is a stylized representation of one of the twenty Olympic events, with the addition of a, so to say, cover coaster. The total dedication involved in obtaining this collection was arduous. Each week preceding the Olympics, the brewery presented a new coaster. Although they were dispersed freely (as with all coasters), to find new, unused ones in a place like the Hofbräuhaus was difficult. Additionally neither the waiters and waitresses, nor the patrons, native or tourists, had any reverence for these items. Soiled ones, last week's ones, one's that were not part of the set, were all mixed and strewn on the tables. Thank heavens for a good-natured Fräulein ,* possibly 65 years of age. When she wasn't busy rushing between the tables with up to sixteen steins of beer at a time, or throwing a rowdy, slightly inebriated patron over a table, she would search through her storage area to find a stack of the weekly coasters. (Did you mumble that my above comments about "my" Fräulein was B-S, or at least exaggerated?) Exaggerated only to the point that I saw her do the sixteen steins, and that was a show for a set of tourists, and I also saw her throw a drunk over the table, only once. Well this set of coasters has materialized into my personal collection, wrapped carefully in saran wrap, and then in a plastic bag, stuck in a drawer, to be viewed only whenever I get inspired and on the topic with some friends.

*(Terminology for either a young girl, or a waitress of any age.)

As a researcher, I can not help but including a note on the historical/social changes reflected in the beer coasters' advertising content. My collection of the Edelweiss Weizenbier coasters shows a development, or at least a change in marketing strategy. From an arian, blond, fair-haired Alpine man to a Vienesse woman, a blond in chains, it appears that a significant transformation took place somewhere in the culture or at least the advertising firm.

 

Note the older Edelweiss emblem in the lower, right-hand corner of the first two coasters.

Marketing and Slogans

Since I know nothing about marketing (see my "Honey Bucket Sales Approach"), then my comments should be viewed as strictly personal observations. The arian guy may have been what Hitler was aiming at for his total nation (his Lebensborn concept), but did he not fit my concept. On the other hand, the two, robust Alpine guys, who, after a rough days work were enjoying an Edelweiss - "Erfrischt auf Edel " (noble refreshment) appears more typical to me. But the "Blond in Chains" was an eye-opener. Initially I questioned the propriety for the coaster, but on further reflection, not only did all of the guys in the beer bars love the coaster, but I realized that the slogan was really clever. They had tapped into an aspect of their culture (to me Vienna or Berlin, but you might say Frankfurt, or Hamburg), which, although not accepted by everyone, is at least tolerated.

In talking with bar patrons in Salzburg, they told me that these coasters were recalled as possibly being offensive. I could never verify this, but they are no longer available. In reality, it is a clever coaster and slogan. The blond says: "Why get into chains or bondage," and then on the reverse side, it states "When with a great Weizenbier, everything is jumping - EDELWEISS!" Possibly not enough Austrian's were ready for the cosmopolitan, punk look!

Following this issue, my next shipment of coasters were, in my estimation, generic for Edelweiss, acceptable and useable. Now they have produced a version which is similar to others that I have seen in Austria, but totally unworkable here in the U.S. because of the language barrier. However, here their slogans gell. With their "Hier wächst ein Edelweiss" (here an Edelweiss is growing), a clever pun on the flower and the beer, and "Das edle Weiße aus Österreich" (the noble white - flower and Weizenbier - from Austria) it works when you consider the flower and the beer. This ties in with an additional slogan which they have been using, "Pfluck Dir ein Edelweiß" (pick an Edelweiss - again flower and/or beer).

Remaining with the marketing concept, an Edelweiss commercial was also produced for Austrian TV (see "Climb the Alps"). Here again the theme represented a pun on Edelweiss. Two young men, both intent on winning the heart of a young girl went in search of an Edelweiss. The Fräulein said "Wer mich ein Edelweiss bringt, dann schenke ich mein Herz" (whoever brings me an Edelweiss wins my heart). Hence, "bring me an Edelweiss," "pick an Edelweiss," "here Edelweiss grows" follows a solid marketing theme and strategy.

Zipfer as with most major breweries everywhere supports athletics, as well as national and international competitions, and uses this with their coasters in marketing. Here they have coasters representing golfing, skiing, chess (competition but not too athletic), and Harleys, a true man's sport, now also for women, retained by me, but not shown here. Returning to an Olympic theme, Zipfer is the official sponsor of the Austrian Olympic teams, both summer and winter, and consequently they produced a special coaster portraying this sponsorship as well.

 So from the joy of beer coasters with their many and varied practical uses to the coasters for advertising, and finally those for collectors, hopefully you have a new appreciation of the initially mundane, BEER COASTER!

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