We’ve been watching the voting results quite intently for a good portion of the afternoon today, as the lead quickly shifted back and forth several times.  The first match of Division 2 came right down to the wire.

But first, some quick updates and reminders:

• Sign up to receive our feed via RSS or email subscription!  You’ll find the links to do so in the sidebar at the right.
• From now on, you’ll be able to link back from the “winner posts” to our original reviews by clicking our names.
• As today’s match proved, your votes make all the difference – so let us know what you think and keep voting!

Brad: This has been a difficult week in general for me, considering how even most beers have been in terms of quality. Today is especially difficult because the two beers in the match are so opposite from each other, yet still both classic in terms of quality. That being said, I think I have to vote for the Pyramid Haywire Hefeweizen because it is a great beer that can be had at any time. I love the 3 Pistols and I will continue to drink it in the future but for me it is so niche it cannot be considered the greatest beer ever, whereas the Haywire has the necessary traits

John: The Haywire Hefeweizen was a great, enjoyable, all-around-good beer – crisp aroma, great taste, and nice smooth finish.  However, I couldn’t turn my back on the complexity and drinkability of the Unibroue Trois Pistoles, my vote for winner in this match.

Fans:  This match was the second match decided by the fan vote in the closing minutes of the poll, with a final tally of 52% in favor of Pyramid Haywire Hefeweizen.  Yet again, another match that could have gone either way for Unibroue, with a final heartbreaking loss.

See you tomorrow!

Well today we have the first clean sweep for Spoetzl’s Shiner Hefeweizen among the reviewers. While the Dead Guy Ale did receive high praise it simply was not enough for the unfliltered nature of the Hefeweizen.

Before I get to the calls, an anouncement

• We have changed the voting format to allow one vote per poll PER DAY. So if you really like a beer be sure to stop by every day and vote for it so you can give it the best possible chance of winning. Rally your friends too! This is after all a popularity contest at least when it comes to voting so get support, it can’t hurt.

Brad:

My call today is going to be short and sweet. I didn’t want to have to knock out a beer that I like, a beer that I drink quite often when I’m not reviewing, but I have to. I’m voting in favor of the Spoetzl Shiner Hefeweizen because I cannot put personal preference over a beer that I think is classic. A beer gets big points in my book for living up to its description, and even more points for improving on that style of beer’s formula. The Shiner Hefeweizen is a great beer, pure and simple. It doesn’t have the minty or clove-like overtones that lesser hefeweizens have; it’s just an excellent beer. I could try and cover up for the Rogue here but, like I said, to win here a beer has to live up to its type. If it were the Red Dead Guy Ale this would be a lot tougher but as far as a plain ale goes, Rogue has a fair amount of room to add the kind of freshness that makes ales truly great. Both of these beers were great and capable of making some progress in the tournament but because the two of them ran into each other in round 1, one of them has to come in second.

John: I took some time to try and pick a winner for this match.  Both brews offered up some terrific points, and it was a tough decision.  On one hand, the Dead Guy Ale has a beautiful balance of bitterness and sweetness; on the other hand, the Shiner Hefeweizen has its own balance and an impressive repeatability factor, plus a compelling visual presentation.  I ultimately chose Spoetzl’s Shiner Hefeweizen as my pick.

Fans: This match went into an extended overtime period as both brews were TIED at noon. A surge in voting ultimately gave the Dead Guy Ale a 20 point victory and it appears the fans and us are in disagreement. What do I say about that? Be vocal, get loud! Email us or comment and let us know why we are wrong. The more participation we see from you, the sooner we stop voting altogether and truly make this your tournament.

Thank you for coming and voting, its really great to see this baby picking up momentum, see you tomorrow!

Welcome Welcome to the beginning steps of the Quest for the Ultimate Beer! Due to an inability to settle on 64 beers, the reviewers conducted 4 play-in matches to hone their tasting skills and narrow the field to the 64 in the tournament. The reviews are in depth below but for those who don’t want to read all of that I will recap the results for you here.

First thing’s first, the first week of this tournament will have a special schedule because the polls will not be up for 7 days, as they will be from next Monday on. My advice to you, VOTE TODAY! We are leaving today’s poll up until 7pm to ensure both beers get a fair shake but there will be fewer votes today so it is a good chance to have your voice heard. BSpelich and John will be posting the first reviews around noon, and the second reviews around 3, with the final decision coming this evening. Starting Tuesday the posts will follow the natural order with one set of reviews going up around 7am, the second set around noon, and the final result showing up around 4. Feel free to subscribe to our feed so you don’t miss a brew!

Now that the boring logistic stuff is out of the way, here are the results of the play-in matches with reviews directly below, with winners in bold:

Match #1: Ommegang 3 Philosophers def. Pyramid Head Audacious Apricot Ale

Match #2: Unibroue Trois Pistoles def. 21st Amendment Hell or High Watermelon Wheat Ale

Match #3: Weyerbacher Hops Infusion def. Left Hand Polestar Pilsner

Match #4: Great Divide Yeti Imperial Stout def. Brooklyn Lager

Thanks for stopping by, check out the play-in reviews and feel free to comment and let’s get this tournament underway!

For those of you who haven’t checked out the About tab yet, I want to clue you in as to what this is: Our tournament-style quest for the ultimate beer.

• Every weekday we will review 2 beers and pick a winner based on which beer is better based on our fairly subjective criteria.

• Think we’re full of it? Vote over to the right or in the Current Matches section to have your voice heard. The fan favorite is the third vote which could break the tie, prove a clean sweep, or let us know we might be wrong.

• This tournament is the first of many. There’s a world full of beer out there and the 68 we’ve picked for this tournament may not be the best in the world. Know of a beer we are missing? Head on over to the Contact page and let us hear about it!

• Finally, don’t be shy! This site is as much yours as it is ours. The more feedback we get in emails/comments, the more say we give you in the selection of beers and who wins the matches and who knows, maybe there’s a forum to come in the near future?

Sit back, grab your favorite beer, and check back often to make your voice heard and be a part of the quest!