Beer Championship Series first round is complete
The Thirsty Beagle here, checking in live from the Northwest Oklahoma County Memorial Sports Coliseum. Taking this OSU-OU intermission as an opportunity to provide the updated bracket for the Beer Championship Series. The voters have taken us from 64 beers down to 32. Check in Monday morning for the start of voting in the second round. We’re going to have some serious heavyweight match-ups.
Here’s how the bracket shapes up now.
Are here are Friday’s results:
-Oklahoma Region: Mustang Golden Ale – 64 percent vs. Choc 1919 – 36 percent
-International Region: Taj Mahal Lager – 52 percent vs. Corona – 48 percent
-USA Region: Shiner Bock – 85 percent vs. Coors Light – 15 percent
-Europe Region: St. Pauli Girl- 59 percent vs. Amstel – 41 percent
-Oklahoma Region: COOP Native Amber – 72 percent vs. Belle’s Blond – 28 percent
-USA Region: Anchor Steam – 77 percent vs. Miller Lite – 23 percent
-Europe Region: Newcastle Brown Ale- 81 percent vs. Carlsberg 19 percent
Keep up with the BCS on Twitter
Just wanted to drop a note that if you’re a user of Twitter, you can get updates on the Beer Championship Series by following The Thirsty Beagle at www.twitter.com/thirstybeagle. I’ll send alerts when a match-up is especially close, post results and let you know when new rounds of voting begin.
Cheers!
(Note: If you’re looking to vote in today’s Beer Championship Series match-ups, see the post below this one.)
Closing out round one of the Beer Championship Series
Seven more match-ups today and we’ll wrap up round one of the Beer Championship Series. It’s been a great week of beer voting — nearly 2,500 votes have been tallied from seven different countries. Clearly, this is a sweeping endorsement of The Thirsty Beagle’s version of the BCS! Once the first round is complete, be sure to check back Saturday to see the updated bracket. Then tune in Monday for our final 32 competitors. Here are the beers that survived and advanced on Thursday:
Oklahoma Region: Choc Basement Batch – 72 percent vs. Belle Isle Power House Porter - 28 percent
International Region: Sapporo – 54 percent vs. Coopers Lager – 46 percent
USA Region: Fat Tire – 62 percent vs. Sam Adams Boston Ale – 38 percent
Europe Region: Hoegaarden – 70 percent vs. Becks – 30 percent
Oklahoma Region: Marshall Atlas IPA- 82 percent vs. Bricktown Copperhead Amber Ale – 18 percent
International Region: Fosters- 56 percent vs. Tsing Tao – 44 percent
Europe Region: Stella Artois- 52 percent vs. Weihenstephaner Lager – 48 percent
For your enjoyment, the updated bracket.
And how about Friday’s match-ups:
Do your civic duty. Vote… In the Beer Championship Series
Perhaps you didn’t know that The Thirsty Beagle is an international man of mystery. It’s true. Because of technology, I can tell you that voters in the Beer Championship Series have been in Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Australia and Mexico, in addition to the good ol’ USA. Thanks technology! And thanks to the readers, now we’ve had three great days of voting. We’re going to continue today (Thursday) and Friday so we can close out the first round and bring our original 64 beers down to 32. Here are the beers that advanced on Wednesday:
-Oklahoma Region: COOP Gran Sport Porter- 72 percent vs. Bricktown Land Run Lager – 28 percent
-International Region: Moosehead- 72 percent vs. James Boag – 28 percent
-USA Region: Leinenkugel Summer Shandy – 75 percent vs. Michelob Ultra – 25 percent
-Europe Region: Pilsner Urquell – 56 percent vs. Harp – 44 percent
-Europe Region: Chimay Red – 55 percent vs. Bass – 45 percent
-USA Region: Sierra Nevada Pale Ale – 79 percent vs. Budweiser – 21 percent
-International Region: Dos Equis – 64 percent vs. Kirin - 36 percent
And here are today’s match-ups:
Vote! The Beer Championship Series is rolling!
Beer fans of Oklahoma: Give yourself a round of applause. Voter turnout for the Beer Championship Series on Tuesday was excellent. Here are the beers that advanced past round one:
-Oklahoma Region: Marshall McNellie’s Pub Ale – 69 percent vs. Mustang Amber Lager – 31 percent
-International Region: Molson Canadian – 74 percent vs. Lhasa Beer – 26 percent
-USA Region: Boulevard Wheat- 63 percent vs. Leinenkugel Original – 37 percent
-Europe Region: Moretti – 62 percent vs. Heineken – 38 percent
-Oklahoma Region: Marshall Sundown Wheat – 77 percent vs. Choc Miner Mishap – 23 percent
-International Region: Red Stripe- 53 percent vs. Tecate – 47 percent
-USA Region: Blue Moon – 76 percent vs. Bud Light Lime – 24 percent
And let’s see the next round of match-ups:
Five Questions With… Marshall Brewing Co.
Today I’m unveiling a new occasional series on The Thirsty Beagle, something I call Five Questions With… . I shoot five insightful questions to movers and shakers in the beer world here in Oklahoma and around the country, then pass the answers along to you. Our first guest is the brewmaster of Tulsa’s Marshall Brewing Co., Eric Marshall.
(Note: If you’re looking for the Beer Championship Series, see the post below this one.)
1. The Thirsty Beagle: First off, you guys are still relatively new in the business; how has it been starting your own brewery?
Eric Marshall: It has definitely been a learning experience! I don’t think a lot of people understand all of the work that is involved just to get it up and running. Since we are regulated by every level possible there is a lot of applications and waiting on those to get processed. There are a lot of reports that are dependent on keeping very detailed records for everything you do. Many people think…oh I do this in my garage all the time, how hard can it be… well it is a completely different monster. Of course, I knew all of this getting into it, because of my prior experience in the industry, but still it is completely different when you are running the show. It has also been a very gratifying experience, we have been fortunate to have overwhelmingly positive support and feedback and that really makes it all worthwhile.
2. TTB: I see your 22 oz. bottles are available at beer stores now. Are you guys selling six packs as well and I just haven’t seen them anywhere?
EM: We have been selling 22 oz. bottles since last December and we should be releasing six packs very soon. We have begun bottling, we are just trying to build up some inventory before we put them out the door. We will be releasing them in waves, Atlas IPA and McNellie’s Pub Ale first and then Sundown Wheat and Old Pavilion Pilsner to follow. Since kegs and 22 oz. bottles have gone so well it has been hard to get the six packs going. We are going to have to do a little expansion very soon, so we have enough tanks full of product to fill demand.
3. TTB:You guys were the first keg tapped at Tulsa’s Oktoberfest, right? Did that mean a lot to you?
EM: Yes, we tapped the first keg at Oktoberfest and it was awesome! I have been going to that festival forever and we tried to get beer out there last year but it just didn’t happen. So, this year we started making contacts early and Oktoberfest was very receptive of having us there and doing the official tapping. Having German roots and having studied so much over there, it was very important to me. Oktoberfest liked the idea for the local aspect of it and it didn’t hurt that I have a few German casks where you actually hammer the spigot into the cask. They loved it and want to do it again!
4. TTB: You spent a lot of time studying the craft in Germany. Do you miss being in the middle of a place steeped with such beer tradition and history?
EM: I really do miss Germany! I had such a wonderful experience there and yeah the beer tradition and history is top notch. But I am glad I came back to Tulsa and started the brewery here. I love Oklahoma even more than I love Germany. If I would have stayed over there I would never have met my wife or been where I am now. However, I wish I were in a position where I could visit Germany a bit more, I still have “family” there and love it. Hopefully my wife and I will be going this summer and then once the brewery gets a bit more steady I will get to take some business trips there every year!
5. TTB: Oklahoma seems to be in the middle of a beer boom, with several breweries getting into the mix. Do you get the sense that Oklahoma’s beer community is really starting to grow right now?
EM: Yes, Oklahoma is in the middle of a beer boom and it is great! Forever, Oklahoma has been viewed as a beer wasteland, but now we are starting to make some waves and get a little respect. It is great for the guys who have been around for a while like, Choc. They have been doing some cool things for a while but no one wanted to listen to them because they were from Oklahoma. Now as more breweries pop up people are taking note. It also doesn’t hurt that they won a gold medal in a popular category at the beer fest, but that also helps us all. It gives Oklahoma a bit more street cred!
Round 1 of the Beer Championship Series continues: Vote now!
We had a great day of voting Monday for the start of the Beer Championship Series. Advancing beers are:
Oklahoma Region: COOP DNR - 68 percent vs. Bricktown Red Brick Ale - 32 percent
International Region: Modelo Negra- 74 percent vs. Labatt Blue – 26 percent
USA Region: Sam Adams Boston Lager – 87 percent vs. Pyramid Apricot Ale - 13 percent
Europe Region: Guinness- 63 percent vs. Peroni – 37 percent.
I’m a little sad to see one of my Canadian beers go down so early, but hey, it’s a cut-throat world in beer bracket competitions.
And here are the match-ups for today (Note: I’m expanding to seven picks a day for the next four days so we can get round one completed by the end of the week. Also, voting will close each day at 10 p.m.)
Big 12 (Lack of) Power Poll: Week 9
Baylor is taking up its rightful place at the top of the Big 12 (Lack of) Power Poll. Just the way The Thirsty Beagle likes it! Let’s get to the rankings:
(Note: If you’re looking for the Beer Championship Series, you can vote in the post below this one)
1. Baylor (3-5, 0-4, lost to Nebraska 20-10; next, at Missouri) The Baylor Bears: Giving Big 12 North teams hope since 1996.
2. Colorado (2-6, 1-3, lost to Missouri 36-17; next, vs. Texas A&M) The Lower Buffs put on a great show for the home faithful on Saturday: Four turnovers, only 23 minutes with the ball, a mere 176 yards of offense. Maybe the players have forgotten that IT’S THE BIG 12! Maybe they should GO PLAY INTRAMURALS, BROTHER!
3. Kansas (5-3, 1-3, lost to Texas Tech 42-21; next, at Kansas State) Oh how the once-kind-of-mighty have fallen. Let’s remember that the Jayhawks only made it to the Orange Bowl a couple years back because they didn’t face OU or Texas that year.
4. Nebraska (5-3, 2-2, beat Baylor 20-10; next, vs. Oklahoma) If Nebraska thinks it’s a whole mess of fun scoring 20 points against Baylor and the week before netting only 7 points against Iowa State at home, the Lincoln faithful will really enjoy it when OU’s defense comes to town. Nebraska gets 10 points, max.
5. Iowa State (5-4, 2-3, lost to Texas A&M 35-10; next, vs. Oklahoma State) That speech Paul Rhoads gave after the Cylcones win at Nebraska, the one about how proud he was to be Iowa State’s coach… can he take that back now?
6. Missouri (5-3, 1-3, beat Colorado 36-17; next, vs. Baylor) I don’t really have anything to say about Missouri, so let’s take a short beer detour. I tried Bud Light Golden Wheat at my tailgate on Saturday; I was actually mildly surprised. I wouldn’t go so far as to say it was great, but it was, you know, not terrible. And it was free. So that was nice, too.
7. Texas A&M (5-3, 2-2, beat Iowa State 35-10; next, at Colorado) A few weeks ago, the Aggies were being touted as the worst team in the conference; now they have winnable games left against Colorado and Baylor and are looking at a possible seven-win season. Definitely an upgrade.
8. Texas Tech (6-3, 3-2, beat Kansas 42-21; next, bye) Apparently Texas Tech players were sufficiently angry that their coach called their girlfriends fat; how else to explain their uprising against the Jayhawks? Except that the Jayhawks are terrible. That could also explain it.
9. Kansas State (5-4, 3-2, lost to Oklahoma 42-30; next, vs. Kansas) Somehow Kansas is a 2.5-point favorite on the road for Saturday’s game, but mark my words, the Jayhawks will be sorry they crossed Old Man Snider this weekend.
10. Oklahoma State (6-2, 3-1, lost to Texas 41-14; next, at Iowa State) I wrote on the blog last week that I found it hard to believe how one BCS computer didn’t have OSU ranked in its top 25. After Saturday, I see how that could happen.
11. Oklahoma (5-3, 3-1, beat Kansas State 42-30; next, at Nebraska) Kansas State exposed some cracks in OU’s defensive armor, but Sooners seem to be picking up momentum as the season rolls along. They’ll have a chance to play themselves into the Cotton Bowl.
12. Texas (8-0, 5-0, beat Oklahoma State 41-17; next, vs. UCF) Somewhere along the way, Texas developed one of the best defenses in the country. The secondary, which unfortunately for the rest of the league, is very young, is also pretty freakin’ good. OSU receivers pretty much had to fight off interceptions to even make a catch.
Vote today in the Beer Championship Series!
If there’s one thing The Thirsty Beagle loves, it’s organizing annual competitions. I know, that sounds kind of weird. But you can break my love of organizing annual competitions down into two areas: I love competitions and I love tradition. It’s why I’ve been the organizer for the past eight years of a March Madness bracket. If I can attach a “XXth Annual” to the title of something, all the better. That’s the tradition part. And since my competitive sports days are long gone, I’m always searching for the next competitive outlet. That’s the competition part. So what better thing to do on my blog than organize an annual competition. Last year I started a 64-beer, bracket-style playoff — the Beer Championship Series — as an antidote to the college football BCS. And this year, it’s back. I give you the Second Annual Beer Championship Series. You can find the bracket at this link. Voting will start today with match-ups from each region of the bracket and will continue on weekdays until we’ve crowned the winner. You can use the handy-dandy polls below to cast your vote for Oklahoma’s favorite beer. Let the voting begin!
Behold! The Beer Championship Series bracket!
This is the day you’ve waited for all year! Or not. But either way, it’s time for The Thirsty Beagle’s answer to the Bowl Championship Series: The second annual Beer Championship Series. This BCS is a 64-beer, bracket-style playoff where blog readers vote for Oklahoma’s favorite beer. The bracket is broken down into four regions: the International Region, the USA Region, the Europe Region and the Oklahoma Region. Beers featured in the Oklahoma region are from COOP, Mustang, Choc, Marshall, Bricktown Brewery and Belle Isle Brewery. The others regions consist of popular beers and generally ones you can find in stores here in state, with a couple exceptions for personal favorites of The Thirsty Beagle that may not be so readily available. Hey, it’s my blog, right? Anyway, you can find the bracket right here.
