Brewper Bowl III - The Results

The dust has settled, the smoke has cleared. The field of combat has been soothed to one of elation and celebration. Confetti falls from the sky. The third installment of the highly anticipated Brewper Bowl is complete.

And the winner is…

… wait for it…

Denver, or more accurately, the Colorado beers have won Brewper Bowl III. Let’s review how we got here.

This was the scene at media day, as the beers lined up to face their opponents. A fair bit of trash talking ensued.

The contest started with a tone-setting shot across the bow by Seattle, leading off the affair with Fish Brewing Company’s Reel Ales 10² Barley Wine Ale, from Olympia, WA. The beer was dark brown and poured with a white head. In spite of the 10% ABV, the mouthfeel was crisp and there was virtually no noticeable alcohol warmth. It was big, bold, malty, bitter, but perfectly balanced considering there are 10 different hops used to create it. The brew had a good malty flavor, and overall, I rated it as a 9 out of 10. Certainly, Seattle wasn’t messing around.

Denver, and when I say Denver, I’m talking about Boulder, Colorado, countered with Hoppy Boy IPA from the Twisted Pine Brewing Company. Hoppy Boy was a well-balanced IPA with plenty of hop bitterness and malty sweetness. It poured pale orange in color and had a white head and crisp mouthfeel. The aroma was citrusy, and the flavor was not overwhelming, but very “easy drinking.” It was a good beer overall, and I rated it as 7 out of 10. The score was 9-7, Seattle.

On Seattle’s next possession, they rolled out the Scuttlebutt Porter from the Scuttlebutt Brewing Company in Everett, Washington. Scuttlebutt Porter was dark, smokey and robust. The color was jet black and it poured with a white head. The mouthfeel was heavy, and the flavor was roasty, toasty and malty sweet. This beer impressed me with it’s simplicity, while equally impressing with it’s delicious full-bodied flavor. It earned an 8 out of 10, to extend Seattle’s lead to 17-7.

Denver struck back with a vengeance, bringing Breckenridge Brewery’s 471 Small Batch Double IPA into the fray.  471 was sweet and fruity, and had an enormous body and strength to it at 9.2% ABV. It poured a pale orange color with a white head, and had a crisp and clear mouthfeel. The flavor was a big, bold bouquet of sweet, citrusy hoppiness and warming alcohol. Small Batch cashed in with an 8 out of 10 to trim Seattle’s lead to 17-15 with two beers to go.

For their encore, Seattle went back to the Fish Brewing Company in Olympia, Washington and delivered a Hodgson’s Bitter End IPA. Hodgson’s was bitter and not quite as balanced as an IPA should be. I thought to myself that it behaved more like an ESB than an IPA. Fortunately for Seattle, I like ESBs, but unfortunately for them, not as much as I like IPAs, and it cost them. The beer had a great pale light brown color and white head, and a crisp mouthfeel, which was nice. The aroma was of toasted barley and the flavors were slightly toasted/roasted to play off the bitterness. The unbalance hurt them in the long run, resulting in Hodgson’s receiving a 6 out of 10, giving Seattle an 8 point lead at 23-15.

With time expiring, and one final heave towards glory, Denver unpacked the Deviant Dale’s double IPA from Oskar Blues Brewery in Longmont, Colorado. Deviant was a sensory assault on my palate, and I loved it! She had big alcohol warmth and a sweet and fruity finish. The aromas were of citrus as was the flavor. She poured a beautiful fiery orange color with white head, and in spite of the aggressiveness, was perfectly balanced and delicious. Deviant Dales was almost good enough to receive a perfect score, but she did receive a 9 out of 10, propelling Denver into their first lead of the game at 24-23, with all zeroes showing on the game clock.

No real losers here.

Denver wins the Brewper Bowl!!!

Your MVB.

I think it’s safe to say that Brewper Bowl III did not disappoint. Seattle started out strong and controlled the game, but didn’t put Denver away when they had the chance, and it ended up biting them in the butt in the end. The last minute heroics of the Deviant Dales was the stuff of legends, and punched Denver’s ticket into the pantheon of Brewper Bowl champions, along with Boston and Baltimore, and earned her the MVB (Most Valuable Brew) trophy.

Now that the Brewper Bowl is once again in our rear view, it’s time to sit down and watch the big game tomorrow, and see if Denver’s actual team does what their beers did here tonight, or if Seattle will take the Lombardi trophy for their own. Should be a good one… sure hope you’re drinking good craft brews while you watch it.

Here’s to craft-brewed happiness… Cheers!