[divider]Photographs of the event can be found below the story[/divider]
The Local participated in a nationwide Stein Hoisting Competition Tuesday, where winners Chad Blankenship and Courtney Hefner received a free ticket to High Country Beer Fest.
Each competitor held a 1 liter stein full of beer at a 90-degree angle for as long as possible. Blankenship’s time was three minutes and 57 seconds, stating “I did it for fun, it is just a game.”
Hefner’s time was two minutes and 10 seconds.
The finalists with the highest times around the nation will compete in the finale on “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” where the winners will receive two tickets and an all-expense paid trip to Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany, according to a press release.
The Stein Hoisting Competition was sponsored by Samuel Adams Brewery and organized by The Local’s manager, Kermit Margeson.
“Bending at the elbow or leaning back is not allowed, and one’s arm must be extended,” he said.
Margeson said he was most excited to see competitor’s faces after holding up stein for a while.
He also participated in the competition, hoisting his stein for about three and half minutes. He described stein hoisting as “simple, yet difficult”.
Last year’s national record was 22 minutes, Margeson said.
“Anything over 10 minutes has a pretty good shot at going to nationals,” he said. “At about three minutes it gets extremely difficult, 22 minutes is ungodly.”
Hefner, who was the second round winner, is a junior communication studies major at Appalachian State University.
“It was intense,” she said. “I thought I was the weak link, and my arm went numb. Now it feels refreshing.”
[divider]Photographs by Justin Perry, Visual Managing Editor[/divider]
Story by: Katie Murawski, Intern A&E Reporter
Photos by: Justin Perry, Visual Managing Editor