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 Jack Muldowney.
NORTH SIDE, CHICAGO
Round 1 of our Readers’ Choice Chicago Brewery Bracket saw more than 107,000 total votes. The North saw two newbies to the region take down their more established neighbors, with Middle Brow and Aleman advancing. Elsewhere, the matchups are just as intriguing, as we’ll see near-neighbors Begyle matchup with Corridor, and local faves Spiteful and Dovetail battle it out. The North is about to get a bit more interesting.
So, there ya have it, vote for your favorite breweries across Chicago, below, and we will tally the votes in order to determine who makes it to the Sweet 16. Voting for Round 2 concludes, Tuesday, 3/20 at 9pm CST.
Vote for the other regions here: SOUTH | WEST | SUBURBS
Half Acre Beer Co. (1) vs. Middle Brow Beer Co. (8)
Half Acre has been thee North Side brewery for a decade now. Their reputation for inventive pale ales and barrel-aging is well regarded here in Chicago, but even has international reach. That will make for tough competition for their Round 2 opponents, Middle Brow, who has built a reputation of their own for concocting quirky and head turning recipes. With their recent (stealth) move from the ‘burbs into a space on Armitage Avenue, it’s a pretty safe bet they’ll become a much more discussed Chicago entity in the near future. We’ll just haev to see if those rumblings are enough to take down the big guys here…
Voting is closed, stay tuned for results!
Begyle Brewing Co. (3) vs. Corridor Brewery & Provisions (6)
After five years of loyal Northcenter patronage, the corner brewery under the tracks, Begyle, has made leaps and bounds in the last couple years with an impressively growing canned lineup, as well as their still-somehow-under-respected barrel-aging program (BA Imperial Pajamas is no joke). They’ll lineup against their neighbors of a mile away, Corridor, whose small brewpub on Southport has seen its approach morph from a focus on farmhouse ales to a full-fledged jump on the haze train. They’ve welcomed lines with their initial canned releases of NEIPA, SqueezIt, and don’t appear to be slowing down. Whose loyal legion will help advance their favorites, here?
Voting is closed, stay tuned for results!
Spiteful Brewing (4) vs. Dovetail Brewery (5)
Both Spiteful and Dovetail advanced out of the first round with relative ease, but will have to battle it out against each other in Round 2. Will Spiteful’s long-anticipated Bowmanville taproom and lineup of cult-favorite pale ales be enough to stave off former Northcenter neighbors Dovetail? The latter has been garnering national attention for their meticulously executed traditional styles and unique brewing setup, all the while patiently waiting (years now) for their lambic-style ales to be ready for bottling. It’s safe to assume 2018 will be banner years for these two outfits–so who will advance to the Sweet 16?
Voting is closed, stay tuned for results!
DryHop Brewers (7) vs. Aleman Brewing Co. (15)
It’s crazy to think that DryHop Brewers is already approaching its fifth birthday in Lakeview East, crafting a bevy of impressive styles and a ridiculously tasty food menu to boot. But, even more crazy to fathom was how strong of a push region newbies, had in the last 24 hours of voting. They had the proverbial come from behind victory, narrowly edging out North Side stalwart, Metropolitan. In doing so, the small festival staple brewery (and their recent lineup of cans), became the highest seed to advance in this Readers’ Choice’s short three year history. Will they carry that momentum into Round 2?
Voting is closed, stay tuned for results!
Best of luck to the remaining 32 breweries. Stay tuned as we tally the votes in order to select a “Round of 32.”
Vote for the other regions below:
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