We're excited to be returning for our 6th(!) consecutive year in Connecticut and we're going even bigger this season! We're expanding the program to bring you the Southern New England Steinholding Championship Tournament! We're looking forward to welcoming competitors from qualifiers across both Connecticut AND Rhode Island to participate in this year's event, and the Southern New England championship finals will be at Caius Farm Brewery in Branford, CT on Saturday October 24th, 2026 at 2:00pm! The overall winner in each of the men's and women's competition finals will be crowned the first ever Southern New England Steinholding Champions!
The Champs will receive a fresh new pair of lederhosen or a dirndl from our sponsor partners at BavariaTrachten.com where you can use our extremely creative discount code STEINHOLDING to get an extra 10% off any purchase of lederhosen, dirndls, and other great festival apparel all season long! More importantly, the winners at States will be invited to the USSA National Steinholding Championship to compete for the $4,000 cash prize! They'll receive up to $500 personal travel reimbursement and two nights hotel stay in Cincinnati if they represent Southern New England at Nationals! But let's not get ahead of ourselves- they need to qualify for States first!
There are a limited number of spots available for the State Finals and you'll need to compete at one of our Qualifying Venue partner locations (listed below) to qualify for the finals and get your shot at the Steinholding glory.
1. We're partnering with breweries and bars across Connecticut AND Rhode Island to host preliminary qualifying rounds at these venues. Each location will be sending the winner of their men's competition and women's competition to represent them at the combined Southern New England Championship Finals. The different venues are listed below along with the dates and times for each competition. If your favorite CT and RI venues aren't hosting a competition, tell them to get registered so you can join the fun!
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2. You can compete at the Caius Farm Brewery qualifier event, on September 19th, 2026 at 2:00pm (women's division qualifying competition) and September 20th, 2026 at 2:00pm (men's division qualifying competition). The strongest men's and women's competitors will be invited back to compete in the Final Championship Round WITH HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE! *Note- by home field advantage we mean that the crowd will probably cheer louder for you, but otherwise you'll have to work just as hard as everyone else if you want to be the region's best Steinholder*
U.S. Steinholding Association Official Steinholding Rules will be used. There will be a team of official USSA judges at the Finals, so study up on the rules and spend some time training to make sure your form is clean, or you won't last long in the Championship Round.
Check out the initial competition map and venue list below. Don't see your favorite venue listed? Reach out to them and tell them that you DEMAND STEINHOLDING and they should sign up! We'll be announcing more locations throughout the summer so check back and follow us on FB and IG for updates. Remember- these venues will have limited spaces available for their qualifying rounds, so show up early and register in advance with the venue if you can!
| Venue | Address | Event Date | |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Beer'd Brewing Co. | 22 Bayview Ave, Unit 15, Stonington, CT 06378 | September 5th, 2026 at 2:00pm! |
 | Crazy Brew Bash | Mount Southington Ski Area, 396 Mt Vernon Rd, Plantsville, CT 06479 | September 19th, 2026 at 1:00pm! |
 | Immanuel Lutheran Church German Fest | 154 Meadow Street, Bristol, CT 06010 | September 19th, 2026 at 3:00pm! |
 | Caius Farm Brewery Oktoberfest | 101 North Branford Road, Branford, CT 06405 | September 19th, 2026 (women's division qualifier) and September 20th, 2026 (men's division qualifier) at 2:00pm |
 | Haven Beer Co. | 2323 Whitney Ave, Hamden, CT 06518 | September 19th, 2026 at 4:00pm |
 | Two Roads Ok2berfest | Two Roads Brewery, 1700 Stratford Ave, Stratford, CT 06615 | September 19th and 20th, 2026, times TBD |
 | Twelvenote Brew Co. | 3389 Fairfield Ave, Suite 3, Bridgeport, CT 06605 | September 20th, 2026 from 1:00pm-5:00pm |
 | New Park Brewing Parktoberfest | 485 New Park Ave, West Hartford, CT 06110 | September 26th, 2026 at 1pm-6pm depending on volume |
 | The Malted Barley | 2334 Westminster St, Providence, RI 02903 | September 26th, 2026 at 3:00pm! |
 | Alvarium Beer Co. | 365 John Downey Drive, Suite B, New Britain, CT 06051 | September 26th, 2026, time TBD |
 | Tox Brewing Co. | 123 Bank Street, New London, CT 06320 | September 26th, 2026, time TBD |
 | NewSylum Brewing Co. | 36 Keating Farms Ave., Newtown, CT 06470 | September 27th and October 4th, 2026 at 3:30pm both days! |
 | 314 Beer Garden | 314 Wilson Ave., Norwalk, CT 06854 | September 27th, 2026 at 4:30pm |
 | Gray Sail Brewing Oktoberfest | 65 Canal Street, Westerly, RI 02891 | October 11th, 2026 at 4:00pm |
| Caius Farm Brewery | 101 North Branford Road, Branford, CT 06405 | State Championship Finals: October 24th, 2026 at 2:00pm |
Want to compete or host a competition in a State Championship tournament? Check out the buttons below for more information!
