A Dupont Circle beer hall wants to find the greatest stein holder in all of the District.
Sauf Haus (1216 18th St. NW) is slated to host a series of weekly “stein hoisting” contests next month as part of its weeks-long Oktoberfest celebration.
Starting Sept. 17, the beer hall will begin staging competitions every Wednesday and Saturday. During the boozy feats of strength, participants will order a liter of beer, hold the stein parallel to the ground and keep it there, according to the rules. The competitor who holds their stein the longest without bending their arms or spilling any beer wins.
Each winner will automatically be entered into a championship round scheduled to be held on Saturday, Oct. 1. Competitors stand to win a handful of beer-themed prizes and have their photo forever placed on the “Sauf Haus Stein Hoisting Wall of Fame,” Sauf Haus said.
Other “Sauftoberfest” events scheduled to occur between Sept. 17 and Oct. 2 include a guided tasting of 16 German beers, a “Bacon, Brats and Bier” party and a “Mr. & Miss Sauftoberfest Pageant.”
Photo by Cristi Dobrescu of CID Photos
A Dupont Circle beer hall will fill with evil clowns, human statues and costumed revelers shambling to live music next weekend.
Sauf Haus (1216 18th St. NW) will host a “haunted haus” event next weekend in honor of the s-s-spookiest holiday of them all, Halloween. Guests can partake in creepy events and buy discounted beer and cocktails during each day’s festivities.
The bar will kick off its three-day Halloween weekend with a viewing of Rocky Horror Picture Show at midnight on Friday. As per the norm, guests will be encouraged to break out the gold speedos and fishnets.
“We’re encouraging costumes,” said Sauf Haus marketing and event coordinator Brittney Roberson. Bartenders will also don costumes to pour $6 Radeberger and $6 Schofferhoffer Radler beers throughout the night.
But it’s the next day, Saturday, when things get a little creepier. From noon to 7 p.m., guests will be able to carve pumpkins and compete for prizes in an apple bobbing contest. Then, at 7 p.m., the evil clowns and human statues come out to roam the haus.
“They’re going to be strolling through the bar,” Roberson said. “There will be these slightly spooky happenings going on.”
Black Masala, a gypsy punk and funk band, will set the mood for the evening with live music. The bar will also screen classic Halloween films such as “Hocus Pocus” and hire a tarot reader to tell patrons’ fortunes throughout the night.
Although there might be some frights, scaredy-cats should still be able to handle this party. “We don’t want to scare people too much,” Roberson said. “It’s not going to be a full on haunted house in a traditional sense.”
Dupont Circle beer hall Sauf Haus (1216 18th Street NW) is set to debut a new retractable roof by Sept. 19, says the bar’s general manager John Issa.
Currently, the bar’s top floor patio is protected only by a few moveable sheets. The new retractable roof will help protect the bar area from the elements as well as control the temperature there, Issa says.
The new roof will also contain noise coming from late night bar crowds and live music.
“This was a big motivating factor in the owners’ decision as they’re working hard to be a fun, neighborhood bar and not a late-night nuisance,” says Sauf Haus marketing and event coordinator Brittney Roberson.
Designer Adam Ford Roll-A-Cover designed the new roof, which Issa says will have cost “in the six figures” once installed. Ford has also designed retractable roofs for the Argonaut, Jack Rose, Ivy & Coney and Red Rocks on H Street.
Renderings courtesy of Sauf Haus
A German beer hall near Dupont Circle will celebrate its one-year anniversary next weekend with giveaways, live music and cheap brews.
Sauf Haus Beir Hall (1216 18th St NW) will open its doors at 12 p.m. next Saturday to celebrate the occasion.
Five bands will perform and bartenders will pour Schofferhofer Grapefruit Radler and Radeberger Pilsner for $1 until the taps run dry. Customers will also be able to enter to win prizes.
The owners of Sauf Haus are donating a percentage of the day’s proceeds to The Yellow Ribbon Fund, which assists injured military service members.
Image via Facebook.com/SaufHausDC
