Before I recap the week I figured I could call attention to a couple outside links that really caught my attention because of their insight and just the sheer craziness of one beer-related story in particular.

Why is it so Rare that We Praise the Consumer?: This article by Alan McLeod at A Good Beer Blog makes some great points about the underappreciation of us, the consumers. We keep these breweries afloat and while they want to experiment with all types of crazy recipes (see my next headline), they should ultimately make sure never to stray away from their bread and butter so to speak which keeps us happy. If you stop making our IPAs and our Hefeweizens and Pilsners and go in favor of scotch beer or super fruit infused smoothy beertastrophes then we will just stop drinking, and that would be a sad state of affairs.

Speaking of sad states of affairs, or strange, or… just check it out. BrewDog’s “The End of History” Beer, which runs $765 a bottle and is 110-proof, or 55% alcohol for our mathemagicians out there. By the way, THAT’S NOT EVEN THE WEIRD PART. Tell me, do you enjoy quaffing your favorite brew as it is poured fresh from the roadkill of the day? Because this beer is bottled in your choice of: squirrel, weasel, or hare. So it appeals to the whiskey-swilling, roadkill lovers of the world, yet with such a high price tag, may be out of their range. My advice to BrewDog is to make kegs of this stuff for about $5 grand, and bottle the keg in a white rhino to appeal to the big game hunters out there. You know, I probably shouldn’t be breaking the news like this but I hear its rumored that the storage tanks are actually encased in that woolly mammoth that was found perfectly preserved in ice awhile ago. All of that being said maybe this beer could weasel (pun police?) its way into our next tournament.

Hard to believe just 7 days ago I was writing the reviews for the play-in matches (check that link for a recap of those bad boys), not really knowing how this week would go. After a successful first week, a few people have already stepped up as dedicated readers and we have a few Round 2 opponents awaiting their match.  Here’s a recap of what we’ve done and how the contenders stack up heading into round 2 a short month away.

Stone IPA vs. Spoetzl Shiner Hefeweizen: Stone was a bit of an upset as it took down a strong and refined beer 2-1. Shiner on the other hand was a reviewer favorite, winning 2-1 despite fan support in favor of it. The fans look like they will be the difference makers in this one early on.

Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA vs. Two Brothers Cane and Ebel: The 90 Minute IPA pulled the first sweep of the tournament, defeating a beer that, as one user on reddit put it, “[Dogfish v. La Fin Du Monde] could easily be a championship match”. I’d say it enters as the clear favorite against a red rye that won essentially a split decision (1-1 reviewers, 55%-45% fans) against a similar opponent, the Hercules Double IPA.

Dogfish Head Raison D’Etre vs. Guiness Stout/Lucky Kat: A strong showing this week by the Dogfish Head brewery to be sure, the reviewers were split again, leading to a fan vote in favor of a quite interesting brew that at times seems like a title contender and at times seems like apple juice. The opponent for Dogfish is still-to-be-decided.  This will be a round 2 match to watch for sure.

Well that’s gonna be it from me for today. Keep an eye out for John’s post about the week ahead later today. Until then, stay frosty, and I’ll see ya Monday!