And so here we are, three months to the day after Brewlimination launched its inaugural bracket we have reached the Final Fermented 4.  It’s been a long journey, starting with more than sixty-four brews.  Now, we have narrowed the field down to the four which remain.  Today, that remaining group of brews will get one smaller.

To quote myself from a previous Round 4 review, the Southern Tier Phin and Matt’s Extraordinary Ale [is]: balanced; refreshing; reliable; truly an extraordinary ale.”  I love the aroma of this beer, I really do.  It’s hoppy, it’s malty, it has a fantastic balance.  The taste is the same story – an incredible balance, in an incredible ale.

On the other hand, I ultimately decided to vote for the Troegs HopBack Amber Ale in the previous round because “in the end, the smooth and well-rounded Troegs won out in my book.” This beer has a deliciously hoppy aroma, with an even better hoppy taste to follow.  I still argue that the HopBack is somewhat balanced, albeit not nearly as much so as brew from the folks at Southern Tier.  Of course, with a name such as “HopBack,” such a trait has to be expected, and I find it difficult to actually hold it against the brewers at Troegs.

I’ll be up front about this match – going in, I had no idea which beer I would be voting for.  Lucky for me, I bought an extra set of beers for this match, and I was able to give each beer a second go around to help my decision, which you’ll see later today.

UPDATE: Click Here for Match Results!