IT’S OKTOBERFEST NYC and I’m standing with Kim Planert, a UPS driver from Ohio. We’re at Rumsey Playfield in Central Park, beneath London plane trees and a cerulean September sky. All around us is the requisite pageantry of the world’s foremost beer bacchanal: lederhosen bros, immodest dirndl cleavage, and polka music inspersed with domestic Oktoberfest classics like versions of “Country Roads” and “Sweet Caroline.” I know some haters who dismiss Oktoberfest as cosplay for alcoholics, but for those of us with a soft spot for a little seasonal kitsch there are worse ways to ring in the fall.
Planert is 71 years old and his costume is relatively understated compared to some of the more committed revelers in the crowd: checkered blue-and-white Tyrolean hat, oversized Hofbräu T-shirt, and cargo shorts. But Planert is not here just to binge on lager and wurst. For the fourth year in a row, he is competing in the Hofbräu Masskrugstemmen National Competition, which is about to take place on Rumsey’s concert stage. Masskrugstemmen is the German name for the increasingly popular sport of steinholding—where participants try to hold a five-pound glass of beer at arm’s length for as long as they can.
“I’ve actually added two minutes to my time,” Planert tells me. “I’ve done 14 minutes.” Not too long ago, such a performance would have put him in contention for a national record. But the bar has been raised in recent years. “We’ve got guys now that can do 16, 17, 19, 20-plus minutes,” Planert says wistfully.
This upping of the ante is at least partially due to the marketing savvy of the Munich-based brewery Hofbräuhaus, as well as American beer brands like Sam Adams, who have been sponsoring steinholding events for years. (There are now steinholding competitions in all U.S. states.) The 19 men and 13 women who are taking part in the 2025 Hofbräu nationals have all prevailed in regional Hofbräu-affiliated competitions across the country. As a reward, they were flown out to New York for a chance to compete for the title of national champion. The annual winner in Central Park gets a paid trip to the OG Oktoberfest in Munich, as well as a blinged-out championship belt to commemorate the achievement. Let no one tell you America is no longer the land of opportunity.
The post Inside the Surprisingly Intense World of Competitive Steinholding appeared first on Outside Online.
