Jews used to burn down competitors buildings to secure a liquor monopoly
(Jews)Adds perhaps a new slant to Prohibition and the Jewish gangsters fighting back against it.
On a more positive note, the hexagram was also thought to be a symbol of protection against fire and demons. In Medieval towns, where structures were built primarily of wood, the risk of fire in breweries was a constant; brewers who displayed this symbol were believed to be protected from such calamities.
Though there is scant pictorial evidence from a century or more ago, it was conventional for brewers in Europe and America to brand or render a six-point star on the heads of their beer barrels and kegs. And, similarly, many brewers in the 19th and early 20th centuries created logos that incorporated the six-pointed star. The Brewer’s Star was also an adornment on many brewhouses built in previous centuries. The star was often a prominent and enduring fixture on the edifice exterior, proudly proclaiming the link to a rich brewing heritage.
In no other country is the Brewer’s Star better represented than in Germany. Alternately referred to as the Bierstern or the Brauerstern, this symbol can be seen throughout the Fatherland, most frequently in the southern state of Bavaria. Not unlike the Ale Stake and pub signs found in Britain, cantilevered inn signs in Germany commonly display a dangling Brewer’s Star.
The presence of these stars on the exteriors of the inns in Germany represented two things: 1) recognition of the right to brew beer and 2) a signal to thirsty travelers that fresh beer was on tap. Because the populace was mostly illiterate, the stars were often painted white or red, indicating that the available beer was either light or dark.
More evidence of how they did the same in Poland and were eventually banned from it:
https://www.voat.xyz/viewpost?postid=643294c46fd06
