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 Tom White.
SOUTH SIDE, CHICAGO
Round 1 of our Readers’ Choice Chicago Brewery Bracket saw more than 107,000 total votes. The South was the scene of a couple big upsets with Haymarket and Open Outcry taking down their higher seeded neighbors. Now they face much stiffer competition in this second round. This is where things start to get tough and even with the biggest breweries out there, there’re no gimmies. Will the big guns like Lagunitas and Marz survive to play another day? Can small breweries with cult followings like Burnt City and Horse Thief Hollow advance? The South is anyone’s guess.
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: NORTH | WEST | SUBURBS
Lagunitas Brewing (1) vs. Haymarket Pub & Brewery (9)
One-seed Lagunitas cruised passed minnows ALULU in the first round, but things start to get a little more interesting here. The California-turned-Chicago giants take on one of the city’s staple outfits—Haymarket Pub & Brewery. While their competition has gained significant traction over the last year–with the release of their Michigan-brewed cans–do they have enough local love to take down this goliath?
Voting is closed, stay tuned for results!
Marz Community Brewing (2) vs. Burnt City Brewing (7)
If hype surrounding a brewery were quantifiable, Marz would win this in a landslide. The brewery that can seemingly do no wrong of late, with their beautiful new taproom and incredibly well received beers, faces off against Burnt City (who’d once even contract brewed and packaged a batch or two of Marz). If last year showed us anything, however, it’s never count out the following behind Lincoln Park/Roseland’s ‘BC.’ Last year’s runners up will be a big challenge for the folks from Marz.
Voting is closed, stay tuned for results!
Whiner Beer Co. (3) vs. Around the Bend Beer Co. (6)
Two breweries with entirely different approaches to beer meet in this unpredictable matchup. What sticks out more to Chicago beer drinkers—the unique and nuanced sours and beautiful taproom from Whiner, or the consistency and availability of ATB’s broad canned lineup? The ability to stop in for a beer from the source could be a major factor here.
Voting is closed, stay tuned for results!
Horse Thief Hollow (5) vs. Open Outcry Brewing Co. (13)
The original bracket champion, Horse Thief Hollow, breezed through the opening round and now finds itself faced with the brewery down the street that they had a hand in building—Open Outcry. While one of the newest breweries in the city may be a relative unknown to many Chicagoland drinkers, they’ve quickly built a following on the Southwest Side. Can the apprentice take down the master?
Voting is closed, stay tuned for results!
Best of luck to all 32 remaining breweries. Stay tuned as we tally the votes in order to select the “Sweet 16.”
Vote for the other regions below:
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