Selection Sunday was a great success. The four core members of the Maine Madness Beer Tournament picked the match-ups at random from a tip bucket at Rising Tide Brewing Company, the winner of the 2014 and 2015 tournaments with Maine Island Trail Ale. Don’t worry; we drank our share of Rising Tide beer during this jovial process.
For more about how Maine Madness Beer Tournament background, and how we did the draft: Beer Muse explains Selection Sunday
The first round is overwhelming from the breadth of choices among the sixty-four competing beers. Take your time looking over the match-ups.
We beg, implore, and beseech you to seek out beers on this list that you have never had before. Google unfamiliar beers. Call up your local beverage store to see what’s in stock. Head to a brewery tasting room to try out the goods.
The best way to engage in this tournament is to jump headfirst into the wealth of beer being brewed by Maine’s world-class breweries. The tournament’s raison d’etre is to get you, the beer drinker, immersed in Maine beer.
This first round features some big match-ups. Dinner from Maine Beer Company goes against Allagash White — two behemoths in their own right. Super Fresh from Peak Organic meets Peeper Ale from Maine Beer Company, which will be a fun hoppy beer match-up to watch playout.
This Round of 64 will run for five days, giving you the opportunity to try a slew of brews and get the word out about the tournament. Voting ends on March 20 at 8 p.m.
Go forth and vote!