Prost! Raise a Stein to Beers, Brats and Bands - Samuel Adams Toasts Oktoberfest with a Two-Day Celebration and Stein Hoisting Competition at Boston's Park Plaza Castle

BOSTON, Aug. 31, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- It's Munich meets Boston as Samuel Adams hosts an Oktoberfest extravaganza – and what better way to tap into the excitement of the Bavarian tradition than with a good old-fashioned stein hoisting? Boston-based beer buffs can purchase tickets to the two-day Oktoberfest celebration and the official release of Samuel Adams® OctoberFest (Sept. 9 and 10 at the Park Plaza Castle) online at www.beersummit.com. The festivities will also give drinkers the chance to compete in the first-ever Samuel Adams® National Stein Hoisting Competition.

(Photo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110831/NY60482 )

As a tribute to the 200 year-old German holiday, as well as the award-winning autumn seasonal, Samuel Adams OctoberFest, Boston-based drinkers and beer-lovers all across the country will compete to hoist one liter of OctoberFest in an official Samuel Adams beer stein. If you bend or drop your arm, you're out! 

"It's been a long-standing ritual to host a hoisting competition at the brewery each fall when we release OctoberFest – and we have a lot of fun with it. Our die-hard fans even come dressed up in lederhosen and dirndls – so this year we're expanding the festivities nationwide," said Samuel Adams Founder and Brewer Jim Koch. "Samuel Adams OctoberFest provides a perfect transition from the lighter beers of summer to winter's heartier brews, and hoisting a stein to Oktoberfest is a great way to welcome the season."

The two hoisters who hold up the longest – one male and one female winner (nationally) – will be crowned the Samuel Adams National Stein Hoisting Champions and will receive the Grand Prize – a trip for two to the 2012 Oktoberfest celebration in Munich. National competitions will take place now through Oct. 15 in local bars and at festivals across the country, where participants will be timed as they're challenged to be the last man (and woman) standing. The rules are simple:

• Steins Up: Participants must hold their stein, with one arm only, perfectly straight out in front of them, parallel to the floor.
• Sipping and Spilling: Once he or she starts to spill, or drops or bends their arm – they're out.
• Time Matters: Even if a local challenger is the last one hoisting, keep those steins in the air! All times are entered into the national competition, so every second counts.

Boston Oktoberfest event details:

• Friday Night Preview Reception:
  • When: Friday, Sept. 9 from 5 p.m. – 10 p.m.
  • Where: Park Plaza Castle, 130 Columbus Ave., Boston, Mass.
  • What: The ceremonial tapping of the keg, a chance to compete in the Samuel Adams National Stein Hoisting Competition, live traditional German Oktoberfest Oompah tunes, and a Samuel Adams beer stein filled to the brim (more than 15 styles of beer to choose from).
  • Cost: $37.50 per person

• Saturday Celebration:
  • When: Saturday, Sept. 10 from noon – 10 p.m.
  • Where: Park Plaza Castle, 130 Columbus Ave., Boston, Mass.
  • What: All-day celebration, complete with live German- and Boston-style bands, the chance to compete in the Samuel Adams National Stein Hoisting Competition, a Samuel Adams beer stein (more than 15 styles of beer to choose from), and chances to win prizes throughout the day.
  • Cost: $16.25 per person

The Oktoberfest celebration began in Munich, Germany more than 200 years ago and has since become the biggest public festival in the world. Samuel Adams OctoberFest is a traditional, malty marzen, inspired by Munich's festival and the arrival of autumn. This beer has a rich, deep golden amber hue, which itself is reflective of the season. The hearty lager includes a rich blend of five malts – Harrington, Metcalfe, Caramel, Munich, and Moravian – to create a delicious harmony of sweet flavors. The sweetness is balanced by the elegant bitterness imparted by the hand-selected Noble Bavarian hops. Samuel Adams OctoberFest easily complements spaetzle and sausage, hearty traditional Oktoberfest foods, and even fare such as meatloaf, barbeque chicken, and smoked fish.  

Samuel Adams OctoberFest is available in six-packs nationwide, retailing for $7.99, as well as in the Samuel Adams Harvest Collection Variety 12-pack alongside Samuel Adams® Bonfire Rauchbier, Samuel Adams® Harvest Pumpkin Ale, Samuel Adams® Black Lager, Samuel Adams® Irish Red and Samuel Adams Boston Lager®, retailing for $13.99.

The Samuel Adams National Stein Hoisting Competitions will run in participating bars across the country between now and Oct. 15.  In addition to the national Grand Prize (a trip for two to the 2012 Oktoberfest Celebration in Munich), nightly winners of the local competitions will receive a Samuel Adams OctoberFest prize pack as well as their name and hoisting time posted to the Samuel Adams website and Facebook page. 

Grand Prize winners will be announced in early November. Consumers can visit www.samueladams.com for additional event listings and full rules and regulations.

THE BOSTON BEER COMPANY BACKGROUND

The Boston Beer Company began in 1984 with a generations-old family recipe that Founder and Brewer Jim Koch uncovered in his father's attic. After bringing the recipe to life in his kitchen, Jim brought it to bars in Boston with the belief that drinkers would appreciate a complex, full-flavored beer, brewed fresh in America. That beer was Samuel Adams Boston Lager®, and it helped catalyze what became known as the American craft beer revolution.  

Today, the Company brews more than 30 styles of beer.  The Company uses the traditional four vessel brewing process and often takes extra steps like dry-hopping, barrel-aging and a secondary fermentation known as krausening. It passionately pursues the development of new styles and the perfection of its classic beers by constantly searching for the world's finest ingredients. While resurrecting traditional brewing methods, the Company has earned a reputation as a pioneer in another revolution, the "extreme beer" movement, where it seeks to challenge drinkers' perceptions of what beer can be. The Boston Beer Company strives to elevate the image of American craft beer by entering festivals and competitions the world over, and in the past five years it has won more awards in international beer competitions than any other brewery in the world. The Company remains independent, and brewing quality beer remains its single focus. While Samuel Adams is the country's largest-selling craft beer, it accounts for just under one percent of the U.S. beer market. For more information, please visit www.samueladams.com.

SOURCE Samuel Adams

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