Parkbräu Beer Ashtray - Green

Beer. We haven't done anything with The Brew yet on the blog but I do believe we're gonna start. It's funny but none of us here at the Toys and Stuff homestead are big beer drinkers. And even though we live in the desert there have been years where not one bottle was bought and drank, we just don't have a need for alcohol. That being said, even as a kid I liked all the paraphernalia that surrounded beer and beer brewing and the mystique surrounding it. Growing up near Miller brewery in Milwaukee there were times during the brewing process when the air was thick with the sweet, malty, hoppy aroma wafting over the neighborhood from the brewery. It's a smell that can't adequately be described but it's heavenly (and beats the hell out of the smell coming from the tire warehouse nearby!!). I remember one of my uncles had his basement all decked out as a den with bar and beer lights and clocks and stuff and I thought it was cool :-). Clocks. Beer clocks. The very best beer clocks back in the day were the clocks made for Hamm's beer. Most of them had beautiful backlit pictures of waterfalls or streams and many had effects which made the water look alive. But I digress....

As an adult stationed in Germany I finally got a chance to pick up some beer accouterments, and where better to do in than in Good Old Deutschland! Steins, mugs, glasses, ashtrays, coasters -  a beer collector's heaven. The local brewery, Parkbräu (pronounced PARK-broi) didn't disappoint having many of its own souvenirs. In Germany there are brewery's everywhere. You can't drive far without tripping over one. They'll even deliver to your door! (yeah, take that Coors and Budweiser you sloths). In our area Parkbräu had two breweries, one in Zweibrücken and one in Pirmasens so there were plenty of opportunities to pick up stuff. Well, without further ado let's start with this nice dark green ashtray. It's a heavy sucker and meant for use at more robust locations like the local Gastätte or tavern and measures 5 3/4" (14.6cm) in diameter. Enjoy! Opa Fritz and Oma Bettina