We’re so excited to announce our Hofbräu Mug Holding Contest on Friday, August 26^th at 8PM.  The event, in partnership with Hofbräu München and S.K.I. Beer, is a qualifier for the borough stein-holding finals on September 8^th.  And the winner of that contest qualifies for the national finals on September 17^th in Central Park, where you can win a trip for two to Oktoberfest in Germany!


The contest itself is pretty much exactly what it sounds like.  Fill a mug up with Hofbräu München and see how long you can hold it, with your arm completely outstretched.  Last person to spill wins, which is a lot harder than it sounds as a full stein weighs about 5 pounds!  All you need to do to enter is buy a full liter of Hofbräu München Original.  You’ll then receive a chip which acts as your ticket into the contest.

Read on for a bit about this activity, known as Masskrugstemmen (whoa), and Hofbräu München itself!

Ok, What is Masskrugstemmen Anyways?

Masskrugstemmen is a traditional Bavarian activity that hasn’t changed much over the years.  Meant to demonstrate strength and endurance (not tolerance, guys), Masskrugstemmen has enjoyed a growing popularity in the US in recent years.  There’s even a US Steinholding Association.

In German, “masskrug” means “one-liter stein of beer” and “stemmen” is “lift”.  The rules are, and have always been, simple: hold a full, one-liter stein of beer in one arm, fully outstretched and parallel with the ground for as long as you damn can.

Here in America, not to be outdone, we have a national Masskrugstemmen competition that takes place every year at the German-American Steuben Parade’s Oktoberfest in Central Park.  The winner of the Central Park finals gets a trip for two to Munich where they’ll get to visit the legendary Hofbräu Haus!

A Little About Hofbräu München

The Hofbräu Brewery was founded in 1589 by Wilhelm V, the Duke of Bavaria.  Hofbräu München was originally conceived to satisfy his family, which weren’t too fond of the beer currently being brewed in Munich at the time.  Later, Wilhelm’s son, Maximilian I, began brewing Weissbier because he didn’t like the malty brown lagers standard in those days.  The brewery’s popularity was solidified when he forbade all other private brewers to make Weissbier.  However, the brew wasn’t available to the common people (those outside of the royal court and their employees) until 1828 when the now-famous Hofbräuhaus was born!

We’ll be serving Hofbräu München Original at the event on August 26^th.  A perfectly balanced refreshingly bitter lager, you’ll definitely want to drink your liter, and then some.

Call Woodbines at 718-361-8488 for more info and be sure to tag us on Facebook and Instagram at @WoodbinesLIC.