Ølhøne

Ølhøne from 1881 in the Norsk Folkemuseum in Oslo

Cones in a Ølhøne in 1954 at a wedding in Ulvik

Ølhøner (German: Bierhennen ) are traditional Norwegian beer drinking vessels.

Between the early 14th century and the mid-19th century, these wooden drinking vessels were in use in Norway on special occasions. The shape, size and decoration were individual, common to the Ølhøner was the chicken head on one side and the chicken tail on the opposite side. In rural areas, Ølhøner were a status symbol. While it was quite common to pass a larger vessel between the guests, Ølhøner were intended for one person at a time.

Ølhøner were inherited within the family. On festive occasions such as Christmas , New Years , baptisms , weddings and funerals , the Ølhøner were placed like small ships on the surface of a barrel or bowl of home-brewed beer, where they could swim, submerge and take out to drink.

In Norway, a bird-shaped beer drinking vessel is generally called Ølfugl (German: Biervogel ). These are not only available in the shape of a chicken, but also in the shape and with carvings of other birds such as geese and pelicans.

The world's largest Ølhøne is owned by the Aass brewery from Drammen . It holds 603 liters, weighs 234.7 kilograms, is 2.98 meters long, 1.25 meters wide and 1.8 meters high. The record is registered with the Guinness Book of Records .

See also

• Jug

Web links

• History and description on sherpe.com ( Memento from October 26, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Entry about drinking vessels in the store norske leksikon (Norwegian).
2. ↑ Verdens største ølhøne . Photo of the world's largest Ølhøne from the AASS brewery (Norwegian).