This content was originally published by The Hop Review, a digital magazine that joined the Hop Culture family in March 2020.
This piece was written by Nick Costa.
NORTH SIDE, CHICAGO
2019 Chicago Brewery Bracket:
North – Rd. 2
The first round of our 2019 Readers’ Choice Chicago Brewery Bracket is in the books, after 78,278 total votes–with 18,593 coming from the North. Here, the region went chalk, as all of the top seeds advanced. Who’ll survive among these top breweries to make Round 3?
Vote for your favorite breweries below, and we will tally the votes in order to select a “Sweet 16” for the next round. Voting for Round 2 concludes, Sunday, 3/17 at 5pm CST.
And be sure to vote for the other regions here: SOUTH | WEST
| SUBURBSHalf Acre Beer Co. (1) vs. DryHop Brewers (8)
No upsets in the North mean that we again see HABC advance, as most expected. They will see if they can slow down DryHop’s momentum in Lakeview East, who finished strong in voting to outlast Aleman. A battle of the brewpubs!
These polls have closed. Cheers!
Metropolitan Brewing (2) vs. Corridor Brewery & Provisions (7)
Metro took down their former location’s new residents, Urban Renewal, to advance to meet Southport’s award-winning Belgian-style and hazy beermakers, Corridor. This is a true matchup of ‘old school’ Chicago beer vs. new school styles.
These polls have closed. Cheers!
Begyle Brewing Co. (3) vs. Alarmist Brewing (6)
Each year we’ve done our blind stout tasting, Begyle has finished Top 10, out of a lineup of 50. That, plus their constantly packed taproom proves they’re one of the city’s best. Across from them in Round 2 is another award-winning brewery, Sauganash’s GABF Hazy IPA Gold medalist, Alarmist. What’ya prefer?
These polls have closed. Cheers!
Spiteful Brewing (4) vs. Dovetail Brewery (5)
Former Ravenswood neighbors rematch in the Second Round, as Spiteful and Dovetail meetup as 4- and 5-seeds for the second year in a row. One is an IPA and stout perfectionist; the other, a classic European-influenced maker of all things lagered (and wild). Ready, set, rematch!
These polls have closed. Cheers!
Best of luck to the remaining 32 breweries. It’s hard to pick a favorite Chicago beer maker as we all know, but hey, here’s your chance. Stay tuned as we tally the votes in order to select a “Sweet 16.”
Vote for the other regions below:
