New York steinholding contest crowns champions as Oktoberfest season kicks off
A citywide Hofbräu USA event and a Central Park finale showcased endurance, community, and a growing U.S. steinholding circuit with a prize trip to Munich.
New York — A steinholding contest connected to Hofbräu USA and the German-American Steuben Parade drew beer enthusiasts from across the country to a weekend lineup that culminated in a high-stakes finals in Central Park. The event served as a showcase for a growing subculture that mixes strength, stamina and Bavarian pageantry, while signaling a formal expansion of competitive steinholding in the United States.
At Gottscheer Hall in Queens, a prelude qualifier drew entrants who had never held a stein competitively before. Hayley Peterson, a 28-year-old from Brooklyn, was among them. Staffers invited her table to join the bar’s steinholding contest, and she went on to last 3 minutes 21 seconds, becoming the last woman standing and earning the honor of representing the venue at the US HB Masskrugstemmen Finals in Central Park the following week. She would later tap out during the main event, but her run highlighted how quickly first-timers can become part of the scene. "We’re young and hot. We might as well," she told The Post after her run.
The central spectacle unfolded Sept. 20 on Central Park’s SummerStage, where 21 men and 14 women competed after qualifying at Hofbräu-affiliated bars around the country. Each contestant hefted a 5-pound liter of beer, held their arm extended parallel to the floor, and battled through the risk of elbow dips, leaning too far, or a spill that would end their run. The stakes were high: the overall national title carried a four-day, three-night trip to Munich, the heart of Oktoberfest.
The event drew a festive but intense atmosphere, with competitors praising the challenge as a test of more than grip strength. It is a full-body exertion, with shoulders, core, glutes and even legs playing a part as participants sought to balance form and endurance under hot lights and the roar of the crowd. "It’s a subculture that exists, and there’s nothing like it," said Jim Banko, commissioner and founder of the US Steinholding Association, describing the sport as both a mental and physical undertaking. The Hofbräu USA circuit remains the path for many qualifiers, but the USSA is expanding its own nationwide network, welcoming bars not tied to a specific beer brand for continued competition.
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