2019 Beer Bracket

2019 Beer Bracket

Here is the 2019 Beer Bracket. At least I get to do one post a year.

This year, I've come to realize that there are way too many breweries. I might be happy when the craft beer bubble pops so I can recognize most of them again.

This bracket contains many old favorites, classics, and some new guys on the block. Please do your thing, pick your favorites, and take this bracket to your work poll.

Maybe you can buy some beer with your winnings.

2018 Beer Bracket

Make filling out your NCAA basketball bracket easier, and use the beer bracket first, then fill in your NCAA. Easy as that.

Been a while since I put something up there, so I figured it was time. The Beer Bracket is fun every year. It gives you a reason to care about making a bracket when you have no idea what Stephen F. Austin, South Dakota State, or any other obscure school can do. Choose your beers, move it over to an online bracket and win.

The Final Four- 2012 Beer Bracket

It comes down to these four teams. The best of the best from the East (Troeg's Nugget Nectar), West (Green Flash West Coast IPA), World (O'Hara's Stout), and Big Beers (North Coast Old Rasputin). Next weekend we will have our 2012 champion.  Fortunately, many people will have the ability to drink the winner, as all four beers are available in many places.

It will be an IPA vs Stout final (if you consider Nugget Nectar an IPA). There is the possibility of having an All-California final- with both Green Flash (San Diego) and North Coast (Fort Bragg) located in the Golden State. So much excitement.

And the Full Bracket:

The Sweet Sixteen- Beer Bracket Style

Now that the first rounds are complete, we are at a stage where all the teams and beers want to get to- The Sweet Sixteen. Here is my quick breakdown of the beers that are left:

East:
Troeg's Nugget Nectar- this is my favorite beer, one that I could drink all year long. There is a reason why I placed it as the #1 overall seed.
Wolverine Dark Lager- lagers don't get much respect in the beer geek world, mostly ruined by the fuzzy yellow piss. But Wolverine is trying to bring them back to respectibility, and the Dark Lager is a great example.
Bullfrog Edgar IPA- Bullfrog is a great little brewpub in Williamsport, PA. Their Edgar IPA is a must try when stopping in.
Stillwater Premium- one of the lastest offerings from Stillwater, this "Post-Prohibition" ale is a easy drinking beer that has a Brett kick to it.

West:
21st Amendment/Ninkasi Allies Win the War- this was a beer that half blew me away this year. Hits at 8.5%, but you wouldn't know and is as balanced as you can go with strong malt and hop characteristics, plus a nice dark fruits taste shines through.
Green Flash West Coast IPA- this is the classic example of what the West Coast IPA should taste like, it deserved a higher seed than #4, but...
Bear Republic Racer 5- this gets the higher seed. Racer 5 is my favorite WC IPA, and something I order whenever it is on the beer list.
Anderson Valley Brother David's Double- while it isn't the greatest dubbel-style in the world, Brother David's is mighty tasty. The big maltyness of it keeps the very mild hops at bay, with a nice Belgian yeast to provide many other flavors.

World:
Rodenbach Grand Cru- if you think you like sours, this is the beer that you must always have on hand.
Jever- super, super clean tasting German pilsner. Perfect for the summer.
Cantillion Rose de Gambrinus- my favorite of the Cantillions, although you cannot go wrong with any. Another delicous sour beer, the Rose features a raspberry tartness to it.
O'Hara Stout- a classic dry Irish stout. Sure, Guinness has a bigger name, but O'Hara's has a bigger taste.

Big:
Westvletern 12- considered one of the top beers in the world, Westy 12 is a big beer, that comes through. Everything that is good in a Belgian, the sweetness, the yeast, the spiciness, all make this beer an A+.
JW Lees Harvest- this smooth, warming beer (11.5%) is perfect for winter sipping next to the fire, or really any time of year. JW Lees Harvest is a great beer to cellar and do a vertical, where you can really taste the changes.
Unibroue La Fin du Monde- "the end of the world" is not literal end of the world, but it can put an end to your night. This delicious triple can hit you hard when you don't even know it, it is dangerously drinkable.
North Coast Old Rasputin- the only American to make it out of the Big Beer region, Old Rasputin is a classic example of a Russian Imperial Stout. Big, thick, chocolate with a hint of coffee, this RIS can get you through a cold night in the Russian tundra.
(Click to see full bracket or Right click and open in new tab)

2012 Beer Bracket

It is finally here. The way to easy the pain of filling out your NCAA bracket. What do you do if you can't choose between Wichita State/VCU or Murray State/Colorado State or Gonzaga/West Virginia? The Beer Bracket is here to help you out.

Wichita State/VCU - Jolly Pumpkin La Raja/Harpoon IPA

Murray State/Colorado State - Oskar Blues Mama's Little Yella Pils/Caldera

Gonzaga/West Virginia - Witkap Pater/Czech Rebel

Let the Beer Bracket be your guide.  Cheer on the Beer!
(Click to view entire bracket, or right click and open in new tab.)

Beer Bracket 2012 Region Formulation

To go to the 2012 Beer Bracket, CLICK HERE.

It is this time of year. The NCAA tournament is about to start, so the 2012 Beer Bracket will be posted soon.  Like in years past, the beers will replace the teams in the bracket. The beer will advance when the team advances. 

 I have decided on this year’s regions:

• West Coast (west of the Mississippi, beers under 10%)
• East Coast (east of the Mississippi, beers under 10%)
• Extreme (beers over 10%, imports or domestic)
• Imports (anywhere but the US, under 10%)

Normally, I wound formulate these rankings, but I am willing to let others to take a region and let me know what they think.  These can be based on personal preference, and can include a sentimental Macro beer, if you want it to be there. 

One last rule is that there can only be one beer per brewery in each region.

Let me know through email or twitter if you want to take a region.

Why a beer bracket?

• It makes it fun to pick a side in games you don't care about- watching a game that is Chimay vs. Guinness is better than DePaul vs Bucknell.
• It can help beer geeks fill out NCAA office pool brackets.
• I like ranking beers, even if it is personal preference.

Cheers

Last Years Bracket

The Table is Set- Beer Bracket Championship

Edit: Sorry, I screwed up my beer/team matchup on the original post.  It has been corrected.

The match up for tomorrow night is set. Great Divide Yeti vs. Yuengling Traditional Lager. As fun of a match up as this is, the beers going head to head are a session-able lager vs. a big Imperial Stout.

The Imperial Stout Yeti is full of flavor, dark as night and American as it gets (after being blasted with hops). The Traditional Lager is a clean tasting, easy drinking lager from America's oldest brewery.

In this one, I am going with the youth and exuberance of a 9.5% Stout.  Great Divide Yeti for the win!

Chimay vs Yuengling

Can a match up be more different than the second semi final game.  There is one, slight comparison.  Chimay and Yuengling are both breweries that started production in the 1800's.  Chimay (1862) is a trappist ale (brewed by monks), that uses the profits to sustain the monestary- the rest goes to charity.  Yuengling is a family run brewery, the oldest in the United States- born in 1829.

Chimay is know for it clean tasting belgian ales. They have their Red (Premiere, Rouge 7% avb), Blue (Grande Reserve, Bleue 9% abv), White (Cinq Cents, Blanche, 8% ) and Golden (Duree, 4.8%).  The red is my favorite, as the alcohol does not factor into the taste.  It is a well balanced, easy drinking ale.

Yuengling is know for its affordable, easy drinking and tasty Traditional Lager.  The brewery also produces different ales, but they have not spread like the lager.  The adjunct based lager has become popular due to its clean taste and affordability.  I love the lager; it has been a staple in my refridgerator since I became of age.  You would be hard pressed to find someone who would turn it down.  It isn't the top lager, but it is good non the less.

Overall in the matchup, I cannot see where people would turn down a Chimay.  The taste overwhelms the lager.  But watch out, Yuengling has been full of surprises this year.

Great Divide Yeti vs. Southern Tier Mokah

The first Final Four game pairs Southern Tier's Mokah against Great Divide's Yeti.

What can I say about these two beers?  Both immediately come to mind when I feel like a big stout.  Both are great with dinner, after dinner or in the middle of the day.  Both measure up on the rating sites (Both A- on Beer Advocate; Yeti is a 100, Mokah a 99 on Rate Beer).  Both have huge coffee and chocolate notes to them. Where do these differ? Area of the country.

Great Divide is an awesome brewery in Denver, Colorado.  I love and respect this brewery so much that I sent a friend there when she was in town for a conference (I have heard wonders of their tasting room).  I pick up their variety packs, and have never been disappointed.  The Yeti can come in a variety of styles.  Oak  aged, Chocolate Oak aged, Espresso Oak aged, Barrel aged and the regular finishing.  Almost all of the different Yetis are a turn on and off to certain people.  I prefer the Barrel aged to the Oak.  I like the Chocolate, but the Espresso is too much.  There is a variety for every one.

The Mokah on the other hand, is a blend of the Java and Chokolat. Southern Tier is based out of  Lakewood, in the southern tier of New York.  Fifteen miles or so from Lake Erie. I love this brewery as well, with many of their offerings being regulars in my rotation.  The Mokah compliments both the coffee and chocolate flavors well, making sure that neither gets the upper hand.

If it was up to me, I think I would enjoy a Yeti instead of the Mokah (but this was a hard decision to make).

Beer Bracket 2011- Sweet 16

Down to 16 teams beers, the bracket looks tough.  Too many good ones to cheer for, upsets galore and no clear favorite. No major surprises in the East Coast (Troegs Nugget Nectar, Southern Tier Mokah, Jolly Pumpkin Bam Biere and Selin's Grove Phoenix) or West Coast (Avery Maharaja, Lagunitas A Little Sumpin Wild, Great Divide Yeti and North Coast Old Rasputin) brackets- although it is interesting that Yeti and Old Rasputin are matched up, as many people match those beers up as the top Stouts (I do).

But when you look at the European bracket, all heck broke loose. Westvleteren 8 (#1) is the odds on favorite, as it is accompanied by #12 seed Budvar (who was in the finals last year), #11 Chimay (who had to overcome the Play-In game) and #10 BrewDog Tokio* (who beat the #2 seed Cantillion).  Still all great beers left.  It gets better in the Canned Beer bracket, although the #1 seed Oskar Blues Gubna was downed by Yuengling Traditional Lager.  Guinness (#4), 21st Amendment Back in Black (#3) and Sierra Nevada Pale Ale (#2) were all expected to progress to this level. 

Check out the results below and let me know who you think will pull it out.

Last 4 In/Out

Just like the analysts want to predict leading up to Selection Sunday, I, too, had my last four in and out.

Last In:
1. Old Forge Underbite IPA- this is my favorite from a local brewpub
2. Moylans Hopsickle- just a great Double IPA from the California brewery
3. Newcastle Brown Ale- just couldn't take it off. One of the easiest drinkers on the list
4. Lancaster Rumspringa- wanted to get a Lancaster beer on the list, and this one is new to the canning line.

Last Out:
1. Stoudt's Double IPA- just got pushed out by plethora of East Coast beers, plus I haven't had it in a while
2.
3. Mikeller- I haven't drank anything more than once or twice, even though they are one of the best breweries
4. Dales Pale Ale- was a casualty of the one brew from each brewery rule.

Beer Bracket 2011

It is that time of year.  The NCAA released their bracket, so not it is time for A Beer in Hand's Beer Bracket.  Like in years past, the bracket replaces the NCAA teams with some of the best brews from around the country and around the world.  You can use the bracket for a few different reasons.


a. To find new beers to seek out and to try
b. To fill out an office poll (just pretend the colleges are the brews, pick your favorites)
c. To find a new team to follow (find your beer, find your team)

This year's bracket is broken up into 4 different groups.  East Coast beers are any that are east of the Mississippi.  West Coast beers are (surprisingly) west of the Mississippi.  European beers are those that are brewed in Europe (hopefully, I didn't need to explain that one either).  And finally, I chose to honor the rash of Canned Beers.  I fully support the canned beer movement, and feel that more breweries should look into canning.

So here is the Bracket.  Analyze it, review it, print it out and make your predictions.

Click to Enlarge

Note: I tried to only post beers that I have drank on the bracket.  I know there are a million great beers out there, but there are only 68 slots.  Please forgive me for not getting to try Russian River, Firestone Walker, Hair of the Dog (or any of the bazillion Portland Brewpubs), Cigar City, etc.  I try to get out and find these great breweries, but sometimes I just cannot get to them.  If you feel that strongly about it, you can feel free to send me a bottle of something that I need to try.

Tournament Time

It is almost time for the Big Dance, so post below any beers that should be included in the 2011 Beer Bracket.  I will accept new beers, or  old beers.  I prefer beers that I had the pleasure of drinking, but make a case for others that I have not been able to partake in.

Check out last year's intro, initial bracket, Sweet 16, Final Four and Champion.

Pauwel Kwak for the win!

After an exciting championship game, the Pauwel Kwak overcame the upstart Budweiser Budvar. The Kwak is one of my favorite Belgian beers. Some call it overrated, due to the traditional yard glass that many people drink out of, but I just find the brew delightful. (And I haven’t been able to drink it out of the yard glass yet.)

The Final Four

What an exciting Beer Bracket is has been so far this year.  Too many upsets to count.  Some great beer to come through in the clutch.  A #1 seed, #2 seed and two #5 seeds make it to the Final Four.

Pauwel Kwak represents Duke in the Bracket; River Horse Triple Horse represents West Virginia; Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA represents Michigan State; and Budweiser Budvar represents Butler.  These are all very good beer, and I look forward to reviewing each beer at some point this week (if I can get a hold of the beer, if not, I will go by my memory).

If you feel the urge to review any of the beer, post in a comment below, and I will place it in my review as well.

Beer not in the Beer Bracket

There are some beers that I have left off of the list.  It isn't that I do not enjoy the other beers, but they are just beers that I have not been able to try yet.  I cannot wait to get some New Belgium, New Glarius, Russian River, etc.  I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to try as many beers as I have, but there are still beers out there to try.

I appreciate the comments on the Beer Bracket, because it keeps showing me how many beers are out there- and that I need to go get them.

Please keep the comments coming, it pushes me to find these better beers.

Beer Bracket 2010

Here is this year's Beer Bracket.  Each beer will follow the team that takes its place on the NCAA basketball tournament.  Throughout the tournament I will be sampling some of these beers and posting my thoughts on the beer and the team for which the beer represents.  (I will not get to all of them, feel free to post your thoughts in a comment or shoot me an email and I will post it as a blog post.)

Let me know what you think of the bracket, my beer selections, omissions and what else you would have liked to see on the bracket- I have forgotten many of the good beers out there, so remind me, there is still time to change them up.

Click to enlarge Bracket

Why some beers are not in the Bracket.

It's Tournament Season...

As the college basketball conference tournaments get under way, it is time again to bring forth the Beer Bracket.  Beer Bracket 2010 will run according to the rules of the inaugural Beer Bracket.  I have not decided on the split in the bracket (last year it was domestic and foreign).  Maybe East Coast, West Coast, Belgian and Rest of the World?  I don't know.

What is nice is the influx of new beers that will receive high seeds-- Flying Dog Raging Bitch and Weyerbacher Zotten Verboten will be two new inclusions.  And I will try to match up the beer and teams that made it last year, making the defending champ Rodenbach Grand Cru's chance of being in the tourney smaller (I might just place it on a new team- unless UNC gets in).

Overall, if you want to help, you can suggest beer that matches a team (think creatively) or just other new beers that have to go on the bracket (Life and Limb).  Any suggestions are welcome.

Champion

Rodenbach Grand Cru came through last night with a win over DogfishHead 90 Minute. Grand Cru used strong defence and a low turnover to win the Championship of Beer, 2009. 90 Minute, on the other hand, turned it over way too much, and was downright sloppy. I am sure Sam will clean it up for next year and have another good showing.

I turned the game off in the middle of the first half as Michigan State refused to hit their shots, or sometimes they just handed the ball to UNC instead of shooting. The second half was much better, but UNC's lead was too great. Unfortunately, I did not partake of any beverages during the game last night, maybe why I didn't enjoy it as much. What did you think of the game?

Go Orioles!

The Beers- Pilsner Urquell

Pilsner Urquell, Rodenbach Grand Cru, DogfishHead 90 Minute, and Racer 5 remain in my Beer Bracket. It leaves me to comment on these beers and my connection with each.





When I first started drinking, which is late compared to most of my friends, I tried everything I could find to see what I liked. One beer that I like, but always seemed snobbish was Pilsner Urquell. I think it had something to do with the name. I don't always drink enough pilsners. I feel that I kind of black balled them; It might be the color. I just don't like the looks of it. Pale yellow bleh. Give me something darker. But that is kind of like the team Pilsner Urquell represents on my bracket. I don't like the look of them, they seemed boring to me. Then comes the tourny and I remember why I placed the as a 3 seed. Both PU and Nova, clean, clear, and consistent. The Wildcats are having a good run, thanks to the Pilsner.



Other Pilsners that I am fond of are the Victory Prima Pils and Bel Pils. What are some other good pilsners out there that I should try?