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 and will be invited to attend the USSA National Steinholding Championship! This year's Champions will ALSO receive prizes from our partners at BavariaTrachten.com where you can use the discount code STEINHOLDING to get an extra 10% off any purchase all season long!
There are a limited number of spots available for the 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 big prizes.
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 (women's division qualifying competition) and September 20th, 2026 (men's division qualifying competition) times TBD. 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 regions'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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Two Roads Ok2berfest | Two Roads Brewery, 1700 Stratford Ave, Stratford, CT 06615 | Dates/times TBD |
 | Alvarium Beer Co. | 365 John Downey Drive, Suite B, New Britain, CT 06051 | Date/time TBD |
| Caius Farm Brewery | 101 North Branford Road, Branford, CT 06405 | Tournament Qualifiers: September 19th, 2026 (women's division qualifier) and September 20th, 2026 (men's division qualifier), times TBD 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!
