The origins of Oktoberfest are as a Bavarian beer festival, making it the perfect setting for the world record attempt that took place Wednesday night.
Steve Richtaritsch used to hold the record for carrying the most beer-filled steins. He set the record last year, carrying 26 mugs of beer the 40 metres required.
That record was broken just two weeks ago, by Matthias Völkl at Munich’s Oktoberfest.
“The current record is 27,” said Richtaritsch, who is a registered massage therapist by day. “He attempted 29 and dropped two, so I’m going to attempt 30 and try and set that bar high.”
Considering that each stein weighs over five pounds when full, it’s a lot to carry.
“It is heavy. It’s about 165 pounds,” said Richtaritsch. “I want to make sure that if the worst happens I don’t break my wrists.”
When it was time to make the attempt, the glasses were filled and wiped down. They were then stacked into a pyramid for Richtaritsch to carry.
However, it wasn’t to be on this night. About a quarter of the way into his attempt it all went south.
“We thought we towelled them down. I thought I had them nice and dry,” said Richtaritsch. “When I got to about the 30 or 40-foot mark, I felt the one stein teeter and as soon as it teeters it’s a domino effect.”
Luckily his wrists weren’t injured in the attempt, but he did say his ego was a bit bruised.
He plans to make another attempt at the record during next year’s Oktoberfest.
With reporting by Nadia Matos
