Tucsonan has a handle on mustache match

Here, Ryan, with his meticulously waxed silver mustache, is in a fierce competition — one that may intimidate his contenders and perhaps even discourage them from participating in the first place, as evidenced by younger guys in the crowd saying, “Have you seen that guy?”

After all, Ryan was a silver medalist in a worldwide competition.

World Beard and Moustache Championships, that is.

Ryan was one of dozens of men who competed in the inaugural Arizona Beerd Fest at the Rialto Theater on Sunday.

The main event of the festival, which featured craft brews and live entertainment, was the beard competition, which was separated into six categories — four for beards and two for mustaches.

“It’s unprecedented in Tucson,” said Ronnie Spece, a Beerd Fest organizer who said he got into beard culture some years ago.

Spece said he has seen some efforts by “urban beardsmen” in Tucson to gather and share the beard culture, but not a full-on competition.

The celebration was born from two guys’ love for beers and beards, hence the name “Beerd Fest,” he said. He and friend Kade Mislinski started the event after the idea came up in a conversation.

Spece and Mislinski partnered with breweries for the beer component of the Beerd Fest. Borderlands, Pueblo Vida and San Tan brewing companies represented Arizona at the event.

“Beard and beer,” said Kyle Jefferson, owner of Pueblo Vida. “That’s right up our alley.”

The two festival organizers were friends who came into Pueblo Vida all the time, Jefferson said. For him, participating in the event was “supporting a customer base that supports us,” he said.

Ryan, the world partial beard silver medalist, said he would continue to compete in beard competitions “as long as I can.”

He received a silver medal in the 2014 competition in Portland, Oregon, another one in 2012 in Las Vegas and a people’s choice award in New Orleans. Before the winners were announced, he said he would like to win another title — this time, at home.

“I would love that,” he said.

And he did.