Masskrugstemmen Finals!

Nothing fits in better in the old, German town of New Braunfels than Masskrugstemmen! Competitors hold a mass (liter) of beer by the handle with an outstretched arm parallel to the ground for as long as they can.

Preliminary rounds for 2017 Masskrugstemmen, the German version of ironman, are scheduled for 7 p.m. July 27 and Aug. 3 at New Braunfels famed Freisenhaus Restaurant, 1050 S. Seguin.

The final round for Freisenhaus’ Bavarian beer holding contest is set for 7 p.m. Aug. 10. Competition for Friesenhaus’ 2017 tournament began June 2. James Gorman won the July 20 Hofbrau Beer Masskrugstemmen round by holding his stein for seven minutes.

Click here to see a video of last year’s competition at Friesenhaus.

The filled stein weighs roughly five pounds and must be kept parallel to the ground at all times. Any spilling leads to immediate disqualification.

After the first minute, known as the “honeymoon,” a contestant’s arms begins to tremble, the sweat begins pouring down their face and they grimace with pain.

Warns the U.S. Steinholding Association:  “Your shoulder will be the first thing that you start to lose control of and it will be a fight to keep your elbow locked and your arm straight out. If you last a little longer your upper back and then lower back will start to tense up. Your hand and arm will start to shake even as you put 100% of your body and mind into keeping it steady.”

Deryk Lindsey, 2016 U.S. National Champion and record holder at 19 minutes 15 seconds, first competed at Friesenhaus in 2014.

“My mom actually tried to convince me to do it for a couple years,” he says. “I didn’t really want to do it at first because I didn’t want to lose, like most guys I guess. She told me you could win a trip to New York City, so eventually I was like ‘ok I’ll try it.’ I went in a week before the finals and won the first heat and then went to the finals and competed against Jason. Man I didn’t want to lose and I went about 9 and a half minutes but he beat me. After Jason went to NYC and won, I was motivated because I figured if he could it, I could do it, right?

Click here to read training tips from former national champions.

National Masskrugstemmen Championship is scheduled for Sept 16 in New York City. The winner receives a trip for two to Munich, home of the original Hosbrauhaus.