Woman returns beer stein to German beer hall 55 years after stealing it
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It was a case of the tell-tale beer stein.
A woman in Maryland has finally been absolved of her guilt over stealing a beer stein during a trip to Germany — a trip she took in 1965, when she was only 18.
OKTOBERFEST VISITORS TRIED STEALING NEARLY 100,000 BEER STEINS THIS PAST YEAR
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Celeste Sweeney recently told the Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA) that she had been feeling increasingly bad about swiping the stein from the Hofbräuhaus in Munich decades ago, so she sent it back last month, along with a note explaining her impetuous actions.
“I took this beer stein from your establishment [in] the summer of 1965 when I was young, reckless and inconsiderate,” reads the note, according to a photo shared with the DPA. “I am sorry I did not get it back to you sooner. Hopefully, it arrives in one piece.”
Sweeney, who sent the stein back at a cost of around $100, also offered to pay for the mug itself, if it broke in transit, Germany’s The Local reported.
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As it turns out, there was no need: The mug arrived in fine condition, and the Hofbräuhaus was glad to have it back.
“Vielen Dank!” wrote the Hofbräuhaus in a letter sent back to Sweeney, as seen in a photo shared to Facebook.
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“Thank you very much for sending back the Hofbrauhaus Stein from 1965! It was a nice surprise for us and such a great story that many newspapers in Germany wrote about it,” the beer hall told Celeste Sweeney after she sent back the mug. (Tobias Ranzinger/Hofbraeuhaus Munich)
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“Thank you very much for sending back the Hofbrauhaus Stein from 1965! It was a nice surprise for us and such a great story that many newspapers in Germany wrote about it,” the establishment said, per a translation.
As a show of gratitude, the Hofbräuhaus also sent Sweeney a different stein — telling her she was free to keep it with a “quiet conscience” — and even offered to buy her a few rounds if she ever made it back to Munich.
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“Thank you and best regards from the Hofbrauhaus in Munich,” the letter concluded.