So Zinzinnati: Rookwood Pottery to Make Official Oktoberfest Beer Stein

One of the most iconic local artisan companies is teaming up with one of the most popular festivals in Cincinnati for a collaboration that is so “Zinzinnati.” This year, for the first time ever, the Rookwood Pottery Company will be crafting the official commemorative beer stein for Oktoberfest Zinzinnati, set to happen in September.

It’s a collaboration that’s a dream come true, starting from a fun “meet cute,” says Chelsea York, vice president of Events and Experiences for the Cincinnati Regional Chamber, which puts on the festival.

“It's kind of a funny Cincinnati story. One of the employees here at Rookwood actually lives adjacent to the Oktoberfest footprint last year on Fifth Street, and we just kind of started talking. He was walking through the footprint one morning during setup and was like, ‘We should talk; we should collaborate,’” York told CityBeat . “It was kind of a no-brainer — that there's a local company handcrafting and designing ceramic steins for over 100 years, and so it really made sense to collaborate with them. And they've been a really fun partner throughout the process.”

George Hibben, Rookwood’s historian brand ambassador, says the company has been creating beer steins since 1880, its first year in operation. Now, they’re crafting something special for their first collaboration with the iconic Cincinnati party, now in its 48th year.

“I don't think you can get more Zinzinnati than this beer stein,” said Hibben. “Our artisans here have made something special.”

The stein was sculpted and molded by Gary Simon, who has been involved in many Rookwood projects. It features various symbols of Oktoberfest on it, including a Daschund to signify the beloved “Running of the Wieners” race that kicks off the festivities; lederhosen; a pretzel; hop vines surrounding the Daniel Carter Bridge; and, of course, the Oktoberfest logo. The glaze on the inside of the stein is a sapphire color dubbed “Patriot Blue” to represent the Ohio River. On the outside is a brown glaze specially made for the occasion called “MaltZin.” Hibben says “MaltZin” is reminiscent of one of Rookwood’s glazes from the early 1880s.

All the steins are made in Rookwood’s production facility in Over-the-Rhine. Each design is hand-drawn and hand-carved into a mold. The clay is then fired at 1,800 degrees to turn it into stone before the glazing process begins.

“As each Oktoberfest stein cycles through the building, it will touch at least thirteen sets of hands from start to finish,” Hibben shared.

A limited number of the steins will be available to preorder on oktoberfestzinzinnati.com's Shopify for $59. Steins can also be purchased in-person at Oktoberfest, but Hibben warns these are a limited-run item and they will disappear quickly.

“We have bumped up the level of artistry on this particular form, and probably the collectability. So yeah, there will be a lot of people that will be disheartened if they miss this,” Hibben said.

This collaboration isn’t the only new thing happening for Oktoberfest this year: The festival will also be moving to a new footprint at Sawyer Point and Yeatman’s Cove for 2024.

Oktoberfest Zinzinnati 2024 will take place Thursday-Sunday, Sept. 19-22. Learn more at oktoberfestzinzinnati.com .