Das Boot!  Beerfest and the Popularizing of Glass Beer Boots

BeerFest is a movie released in 2006 that tells a story of an American team training for and entering an international  beer drinking contest in Germany.  This American team trains hard to compete and ends up with “the world’s best beer recipe” which they use to open their own brewpub.   The team drinks beer in a variety of contests and training exercises to get ready for the big event. 

The Beerfest is held in Munich in October year coinciding with Oktoberfest (even though Okotberfest is actually held in September).   The last of the contests held at this event is drinking from a glass boot shaped beer glass, called Das Boot.  The “Das Boot” name is a reference to the famous German movie about the WWII submarine crew.   This giant 2 liter glass boot must be emptied in one draw without spilling the contents.  Teams have trouble figuring out how to position the boot so as not to be splashed by the beer.

The American team goes up against Germany in the end of the movie.  They are playing not only for the contest but also for the recipe for “the best beer in the world.”  Surprise, surprise, the American’s win in the end.     They figure out that by pointing the toe of the boot in a certain direction, the beer will not spill.  The Germans had already mastered the technique of drinking from Das Boot but neglected to completely empty the glass boot – therefore being eliminated by the American team.   The American retain the rights to the beer recipe and go one to own the largest beer brewery in the world. 

The real secret to drinking from a beer boot is to point the toe either to the left or to the right.  Point the toe of the boot up or down can cause beer to spill – and spill out quickly as the last gulps of beer leave the glass.