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.
ChicagoLAND, IL
Round 1 of our Readers’ Choice Chicago Brewery Bracket saw more than 107,000 total votes, with a majority of those votes came from the Suburbs Region. With their über-loyal fan bases as backing, each of the 16 breweries in this part of the bracket made plenty of noise in the first round. And after plenty of debate and seeding criticism (there are 120+ options, guys!), some hyped about breweries advances, while a couple stumbled. It’s safe to say that this competitive region is chock-full of wildcards.
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 | SOUTH | WEST
Two Brothers Artisan Brewing (1) vs. Penrose Brewing (9)
Two Brothers saw a scare in Round 1, as they jockeyed for position with their 16-seed opponent, Alter. In the end, the 21-year old brewery snuck out the victory in the narrowest of margins. Their next opponent: fellow West Siders, Penrose and their impressive lineup of Belgo-American pales and limited release wild ales. We can assure you that seed numbers in this region are interchangeable, and this matchup might prove just that.
Voting is closed, stay tuned for results!
Hailstorm Brewing Co. (2) vs. Pollyanna Brewing Co. (10)
You might’ve thought Hailstorm’s climb to a 2-seed this year would afford them an easy win in the first round, but they had a close battle with play-in winners, Crystal Lake Brewing. Things will only get tougher for the Tinley Park brewers, as they matchup against the impressively expanding, and Southwest Side cult-favorites, Pollyanna. To get to Round 2, they just had to take down beer geek fanboy favorites, Mikerphone, who’d garnered enough national buzz the past year to go around. Whoever makes it out of this matchup will certainly be one to keep an eye on…
Voting is closed, stay tuned for results!
Solemn Oath Brewery (3) vs. Hop Butcher For The World (6)
The city’s loss is the suburbs’ gain, as the hyped-about and clamored-for 4-pack producers, Hop Butcher (who can be credited for being the first Chicago brewery to adopt the NEIPA haze), changed addresses. They edged 5 Rabbit to advance and will have another tough matchup facing off against Naperville juggernaut, Solemn Oath–who has also seen plenty of growth with their packaged lineup this past year. The battle of the canned-kings!
Voting is closed, stay tuned for results!
Noon Whistle Brewing (5) vs. Wild Onion Brewery (13)
Noon Whistle cruising through the first round comes as a surprise to no one, after their domination of the 2017 bracket. There’s something in the beer in Lombard that’s causing their fans to come out in droves. In Round 2, they face one of Chicago’s pioneer breweries. Wild Onion snuck by their competition in the first round by only 9 votes, with a 50.1% to 49.9% advantage over Evanston’s Temperance, and now must repeat the feat to take down last year’s bracket champ.
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 a “Sweet 16.”
Vote for the other regions below:
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