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As mentioned earlier, we’re changing up our annual “Drinking the NCAA Tournament” feature this year to give the voting power to our Syracuse Orange fan community (and other likely visitors).
To refresh everyone: We provide selections for every NCAA Tournament team’s best brewery (in the actual city they play in) and keep them in the corresponding seeds. Voting will last three days per round. So after round one, we’ll be behind the real bracket, but catch up early next week. You’ll get it pretty quickly, trust me.
The bracket is below. Additionally, we’re honing in on the South region here, with subsequent posts for the West, East and Midwest.
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(1) Three Notch’d Biggie S’mores (Virginia) vs. (16) Union Craft Older Pro Red Raspberry (UMBC)
Biggie S’mores lives up to its name with a nice mix of graham cracker and cocoa flavors (there’s also a bourbon barrel-aged version that I won’t consider in voting here, but can’t stop you from doing so). Its opponent: One of Baltimore’s finest Goses, aged in white wine barrels.
Poll
Which beer advances to the Round of 32?
This poll is closed
-
77%
Three Notch’d Biggie S’mores
(64 votes) -
22%
Union Craft Older Pro Red Raspberry
(19 votes)
(8) Vis Major Elixir Citra (Creighton) vs. (9) Tallgrass Buffalo Sweet Oatmeal Cream Stout (Kansas State)
Vis Major’s Citra-packed IPA is what you’d expect from the style today: a tropical aroma and taste, with light bitterness. In the other corner, it’s creamy, chocolate, espresso... and might sounds more like a dessert than a beer. But Tallgrass makes a mark here delivering those flavors in a way that’s not cloyingly sweet.
Poll
Which beer advances to the round of 32?
This poll is closed
-
47%
Vis Major Citra Elixir
(28 votes) -
52%
Tallgrass Buffalo Sweet Oatmeal Cream Stout
(31 votes)
(5) West Sixth Snake Cake (Kentucky) vs. (12) Bayne Snowflake (Davidson)
Barrel-aged with chocolate and vanilla flavors, West Sixth’s Snake Cake is appropriate of Kentucky. Bayne’s gorilla logo could probably get my vote on that imagery alone, but their Snowflake winter warmer is a solid, not-too-filling take on the style as well.
Poll
Which beer advances to the round of 32?
This poll is closed
-
50%
West Sixth Snake Cake
(29 votes) -
49%
Bayne Snowflake
(28 votes)
(4) Dragoon Sarcosuchus Double IPA (Arizona) vs. (13) Big Ditch Hayburner (Buffalo)
Dragoon’s hefty (10.5 percent ABV) DIPA is named after a Super Croc. Big Ditch’s Hayburner is also on the hoppy side, but a single IPA packed with tropical citrus notes. They’ll both get the job done, but in different ways (and lengths of time).
Poll
Which beer advances to the round of 32?
This poll is closed
-
61%
Dragoon Sarcosuchus Double IPA
(61 votes) -
38%
Big Ditch Hayburner
(38 votes)
(6) Titanic Imperial Dunkel Hefeweizen (Miami) vs. (11) Begyle BA Imperial Pajamas Stout (Loyola-Chicago)
Not sure why they don’t just cut to the chase on Titanic’s beer and call it a “Dunkelweizen” since that’s a style all its own anyway. But no matter... Up against the Hurricanes’ representative is Chicago’s best: Begyle’s Imperial Pajamas Stout aged in Heaven Hill bourbon barrels.
Poll
Which beer advances to the round of 32?
This poll is closed
-
49%
Titanic Imperial Dunkel Hefeweizen
(25 votes) -
50%
Begyle BA Imperial Pajamas Stout
(26 votes)
(3) Crafty Bastard Big Bastard Double IPA (Tennessee) vs. (14) Yellow Springs Keyholder (Wright State)
Crafty Bastard goes for the more “dank” approach over today’s “juice bomb” DIPAs that have seemed to proliferate everywhere at this point. Speaking of juice, Yellow Springs’ Keyholder is a hazy IPA with some rave reviews out of Ohio.
Poll
Which beer advances to the round of 32?
This poll is closed
-
50%
Crafty Bastard Big Bastard Double IPA
(24 votes) -
50%
Yellow Springs Keyholder
(24 votes)
(7) Stoneyhead Galena Gold Amber Ale (Nevada) vs. (10) Jester King Atrial Rubicite (Texas)
Stoneyhead’s amber isn’t typical of the style, dry-hopped and with some English-styled bitterness at the backend. Jester King’s Atrial Rubicite has won this bracket before, but there’s a reason for that. The aggressive wild ale is a favorite.
Poll
Which beer advances to the round of 32?
This poll is closed
-
39%
Stoneyhead Galena Gold Amber Ale
(19 votes) -
60%
Jester King Atrial Rubicite
(29 votes)
(2) Urban Artifact The Gadget (Cincinnati) vs. (15) Orpheus Noise and Flesh (Georgia State)
Urban Artifact are pros at sour styles, and the Gadget’s berry flavors are no exception to that standard. Down in Atlanta, you’ll find Orpheus tucked away, but the beers are straight forward and full of character. Noise and Flesh, in particular, is among the closest I’ve come to a true Belgian Lambic in the U.S.
Poll
Which beer advances to the round of 32?
This poll is closed
-
50%
Urban Artifact The Gadget
(27 votes) -
49%
Orpheus Noise and Flesh
(26 votes)
Polls close for all first round matchups at midnight Saturday evening.