It’s officially Masskrugstemmen season! Most of you are likely asking what Masskrugstemmen actually means. Welcome to the world of stein holding!
Masskrugstemmen (Mahss-kroog-stem-men) is a Bavarian contest of strength, determination and pure stamina. And it’s exactly what it sounds like. You hold a full one-liter stein of brew as long as you can; if you outlast your competition, you’re the champion. Sounds so easy right? Well, you couldn’t be more wrong. That liter of beer you will be holding weighs about 5.5 pounds! Held in one hand, with your arm extended, and elbow straight, that 5.5-pound beer starts to feel like a boulder after 20 seconds! The average man lasts about 5 minutes with the average female lasting about 2 minutes. The world record is 45 minutes and 2 seconds!
Now if you’ve made it this far, you’re probably wondering how to win the trip to NYC that we promised in the title! Starting this weekend, we will hold a Masskrugstemmen every Friday and Saturday at 8 pm.
The rules are simple:
• Come to Hofbräuhaus Buffalo on a Friday or Saturday to compete at 8 pm
• Outlast your competition
• We will record the time of the winning male and winning female contestants
• At the end of Summer, the male and female with the best times will be sent to compete in the Hofbräuhaus Masskrugstemmen National Championshiop in New York City!
• If you win the competition in New York City, you will then get to compete in Munich!
• Contestants must be 21+ with proper ID. There is no fee to enter the contest. Winners will be chosen at the discretion of our Masskrugstemmen judges.
Check out the official rules from the US Steinholding Association:
The Rules:
- A 1L dimpled glass stein with handle must be used. The stein itself should weigh approximately 3 lbs. Steins used for any given competition should be of the same brand and style, and should be provided by the establishment hosting the competition to ensure consistency.
- The stein must be filled with liquid to the 1L lip.
- The stein must be gripped by the handle.
- The thumb may not rest on top of the stein handle; it must rest on the other fingers.
- The pinkie finger may be held outside of the handle. If the pinkie is outside the handle, it may only touch the handle, not the main body of the stein.
- The stein must be gripped such that the front of the stein faces away from the competitor. The stein may not be gripped sideways.
- Limited arching of the back is tolerable, however only minimal leaning is acceptable. In the vertical plane, the competitor’s elbow must never cross behind the front of the hips or the front of the ankle of either foot.
- Leaning to the left or right side is unacceptable; the upper torso may not be noticeably angled to the left or right side and the line between a competitor’s shoulder blades should remain close to parallel to the ground.
- The stein must be held out directly in front of the competitor, not out to the side. The line between a competitor’s shoulders should remain close to perpendicular with the arm holding the stein.
- The arm holding the stein must remain close to parallel with the ground and should be extended straight with no bending at the elbow.
- The arm holding the stein must remain separated from the chest of the competitor. The chest may not be used as a shelf to support the arm.
- The off hand should remain at the competitor’s side or back and may not touch or support the arm holding the stein.
- Competitors may not contact any other structures, objects, or people during the competition.
- Competitors must stand within their personal area and may not move more than is necessary to make adjustments ensuring proper form during the competition.
- If any amount of beer spills or drips off of the stein, the competitor is disqualified, regardless of the number of strikes previously assigned. NOTE: During outdoor competitions or humid conditions, judges should be sure to differentiate between dripping resulting from condensation or sweat, and dripping resulting from beer spillage.