Seventh annual Bierfest ready to serve artists, brewers, contestants

Artists, breweries, stein-holders wanted for Sept.

28 Bierfest.

CELEBRATING THE ARTS Seventh annual Bierfest ready to serve artists, brewers, contestants

As always, we honor Boerne’s German heritage as you enter BierFest with the music of Boerne Village Band, the world’s longest continuously performing German band outside of Germany. It’s time to start brushing up on your favorite ‘90s and beyond country hits so you can sing along with headliner All Hat, No Cadillac starting at 4:30 p.m., which follows Texas favorite Drew Brown.

The seventh annual Bierfest opens at noon and runs to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 28, on the grounds of the Agri-Cultural Museum and Arts Center, 102 City Park Road.

Patrons are encouraged to start practicing now for the fest’s most popular event: the “Masskrugstemmen,” or steinholding competition, which requires participants to hold a regulation beer stein filled with a liter of beer (around five pounds) out from the body, parallel to the floor as long as possible.

Rest your arm on your chest, or break any other rule, and you get a strike; three strikes and you’re eliminated. Spill beer (the cardinal sin of steinholding) and you’re eliminated immediately, regardless of strikes.

U.S. Steinholding Association national champions Jason Hurta (2014) and Deryk Lindsay (2016) will be on hand hosting and judging the competition, which is now listed with the association as an official qualifying event.

The male and female winners of the Boerne competition are eligible to move on to the state finals, which take place at Wurstfest in New Braunfels this November.

BierFest is also seeking artists of any medium to display and sell at the festival. For $125, artists can reserve a booth space at the festival with an expected attendance of more than 3,000.

Both artists and beer will be professionally judged, with awards given, and two additional honorable mentions for artists, and People’s and Ladies’ Choice awards for beer.

Also popular is the keg toss and Homebrew Competition, where home brewers entered their craft beer prior to the event to be judged for a chance to win the coveted WWE-esque “Beer Belt.”

Winners will be announced at BierFest, and the winner’s beer will be brewed at Free Roam Brewing Co. and debuted at a special release party there.

For tickets and more information, visit www. boernebierfest.com