German Man Smashes Beer Stein Carrying Record (Not Literally) [Video]

Lots of food and beverage records are consumption-driven. Look no further than competitions like the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest with its lineup of professionals or the beer mile, where how fast you can drink is nearly as important as how fast you can run. Then you have your records where size matters: Things like the world's longest pizza—which somehow has been broken three times in the past two years. But in Germany, people apparently still understand the importance of service. One of the country's best-known feats is the record for most beer steins carried, and refusing to rest on his foamy laurels, German waiter Oliver Strumpfel once again topped his own world's best mark, this time by carrying 29 steins.

The Bavarian tax inspector beat his own previous record multiple times during the Gillamoos Fair in Abensberg over the weekend. According to The Guardian, Strumpfel first took over the record back in 2010 when he carried 21 of the one-liter steins the required 40 meters. By 2014, he had raised that number to 25 full glasses. But on Sunday, a flurry of developments: In a preliminary round, Strumpfel established a new world's best of 27 glasses. Then, during a later attempt, the 45-year-old successfully carried 29 of the full steins, which in total weighed over 150 pounds, to set the current record. Not long after, he went for one final try—31 steins—but wasn't able to strike gold a third time: One of the glasses fell and one lost more than 10 percent of its beer, which disqualifies any mug from counting.

In a post event interview, Strumpel discussed the dedication necessary just to carry some beer. "I've been training since February," he said, "going to the gym three or four times a week and that was awesome. When I think about it, its 200 hours for about 40 seconds of walking." And yet, with all that training, Strumpel was still able to rise to the occasion come show time. "Even during training I never managed to carry so many tankards," he told The Guardian. "I knew I could do it, but not so soon as I did…. I have not yet reached my limit." So next year, come even thirstier!