This year’s special technical feature in philately will delight many beer enthusiasts: a beer mat with a detachable stamp.
Beer is an extremely popular beverage not just in Austria but around the world, and it boasts a very long history. Made from water, hops, malt, and yeast, the brewing process creates this aromatic golden-yellow drink. Depending on the type of grain used, the type of yeast—whether top-fermenting or bottom-fermenting—and many other factors, different varieties of beer are produced. Terms like Märzen, Pilsner, Lager, Wheat Beer, or Zwickl are familiar even to novices, although not everyone may know the precise differences between them.
In addition to its taste, beer also offers healthy ingredients, particularly B vitamins, potassium, and magnesium. However, due to its alcohol content, it is not necessarily a suitable source of nutrients: alcohol is known to have harmful health effects when consumed regularly and in large quantities. Therefore, beer, like any alcoholic beverage, should be enjoyed in moderation, with responsibility, and in accordance with the legal drinking age.
The "Beer Mat" miniature sheet is original and entirely safe. It not only looks like a beer mat but is also made from the original material of wood pulp cardboard. The production process was challenging: the rough, absorbent material required multiple printing processes to apply the layers of colour and adhesive adequately, and the thickness of the cardboard, at 1.4 millimetres, necessitated the use of special band steel for the die-cutting. The gummed stamp, also thick, featuring a frothy glass of beer and the caption "Beer has it all", can be detached from the beer mat. Some of the bubbles of the beer foam on the front of the block have also been enhanced with a tactile relief varnish.
