Tankard with tin lid

The extent of the love for the golden drink, which beer was, is evidenced, among other things, by the proverb "Eat, drink and loosen your belt during the reign of King Saxon." Therefore, it is not surprising that every wealthy nobleman or townsperson enjoyed this drink, drinking it from decorative tankards. One example of this is a spherical tankard from the collection of the National Museum in Lublin, with a flat tin lid with a ball handle hinged to a C-shaped ear.

In his Opis obyczajów za panowania Augusta III [The Description of Customs during the Reign of Augustus III], the priest Jędrzej Kitowicz noted: "Where beer was in fashion, they drank it from breakfast to dinner, from dinner to pillow". In the same work, we can also find the words: "Some had such good throats and such spacious stomachs that they drank a tankard of beer or a glass of such [...] in one gulp without resting".

Furthermore, beer was one of the most popular beverages in the 18th century, not only in Poland but also throughout Europe. It was brewed in almost every nobleman's estate, which meant that the number of types, and thus recipes, was incalculable. However, it should be remembered that the beer made by our ancestors differed significantly from the carbonated beverage we know today. In the 18th century, beer in the majority was made as the so-called light beer, containing no more than two or three per cent alcohol. It explains why noblemen were able to drink even a dozen or so tankards of beer during a single meal or a visit to an inn, having a great time.