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
Round 1 saw more than 86,000 total votes, with the North region being the most popular city bracket. In a somewhat surprising outcome, there were no upsets in the North. Half Acre and Spiteful proved most popular, while a couple of closer matches came between Aquanaut vs. Band of Bohemia and Dovetail vs. DryHop. What’s left is a batch of eight worthy breweries, vying to move on to the Sweet 16.
Vote for your favorite breweries from Chicago’s North Side, below, and we will tally the votes in order to select winners for the next round. We’ll know our Sweet 16 when voting for Round 2 concludes, Sunday, 3/19 at 9am.
Vote for the other regions here: SOUTH | WEST | SUBURBS
Half Acre Beer Co. (1) vs. Dovetail (8)
Northcenter’s favorite maker of all things pale ale has been brewing since 2008 and is constantly expanding (in size and offering). Here, Half Acre takes on the neighborhood’s newest brewery, Dovetail. Separated by only a few blocks, these two breweries are both pumping out fantastic beer, but couldn’t be more different in style. What’ll ya have, Extra Pale Ale or Rauchbier?
Voting is closed, stay tuned for results.
Begyle Brewing Co. (4) vs. Burnt City Brewing (5)
Another Northcenter staple, Begyle Brewing Co., advanced–no doubt in part to its impressive lineup of styles on their beer menu. They’ve also recently expanded production, much like their Lincoln Park opponents, here. Burnt City’s looking to advance after their 2016 rebrand and rebirth, where they ditched the ‘Atlas Brewing’ moniker. If we could match up any of their beers, it’d be hard not to pit Begyle’s Flannel Pajamas with BC’s Freight Handler. What’ya prefer?
Voting is closed, stay tuned for results.
Metropolitan Brewing (3) vs. Hop Butcher for the World (6)
This matchup pits the city’s longest standing traditional brewer, Metropolitan, against the city’s current most-buzzed-about brewer, Hop Butcher. Metropolitan has owned its place on the spectrum, crafting true to style German-inspired beers in Ravenswood. Also in the neighborhood is Hop Butcher’s outpost, where they’re mastering the other end of the spectrum by making unapologetic, bold, juicy pale ales. While they spent plenty of time getting their feet wet as ‘South Loop Brewing Co.’, HBFTW is very much in the ‘now’. Will you lean old school or new school here?
Voting is closed, stay tuned for results.
Spiteful Brewing (2) vs. Aquanaut Brewing Co. (7)
All four Northcenter beer makers made it out of the first round, and Spiteful Brewing was no exception. They found little trouble getting past Gino’s, while Aquanaut squeaked past trendy culinary brewery Band of Bohemia. This is another matchup of traditional styles versus modern brewing approaches. Aquanaut has hung their hat on English-inspired beers, while Spiteful has quietly expanded their footprint and reputation by churning out a bevvy of unique takes on traditional styles. Porter battle: God Damn Pigeon or Moonray?
Voting is closed, stay tuned for results.
Best of luck to all 32 remaining 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:
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