This was made for use at historical re-enactment events. It's deliberately made to look a little scruffy, the hoops are of Oak and the tankard itself is of several different scraps of wood I had around. The interior of the tankard is thickly coated in brewer's pitch. It's an unlovely little thing, but it's served me well for over 20 years, and it has the great advantage that because it's a traditional design it can be used at re-enactments which cover a wide range of historical periods, from the Middle Ages through to Napoleonic times.
When I sell to the general public, they almost always want the brass-hooped tankards, but I do intend to make some more wooden-hooped ones for re-enactors. By their very nature, wooden-hooped tankards aren't as attractive as those with metal hoops. Only a few woods, such as Ash, are suitable for making hoops for tankards (Oak doesn't really bend well enough to make the tight curves needed for tankards - I had a lot which cracked before I made two successful Oak hoops) so the colour of the hoops may well not match the colour of the tankard.
