Final Tournament Lineup

Earlier I posted a set of beers that were definitely in the tourney (coming this Saturday!), and others I was trying to get. I had win and fail in that; one of the definites is out, but the final list has come together nicely.  Rather than seeding by price, I’m seeding this tournament by Beeradvocate rating (in parenthesis below).

Without further ado, the beers:

1. Southern Tier – Pumking (4.04)
2. Dogfish Head  - Punkin (3.90)
3. Weyerbacher  - Imperial Pumpkin Ale (3.89)
4. Carolina Beer Company – Cottonwood Pumpkin Spiced Ale (3.83)
5. Heavy Seas - The Great Pumpkin (3.82)
6. Big Boss – Harvest Time (3.80)
7. Post Road – Pumpkin Ale (3.60)
8. Blue Moon – Harvest Moon (3.11)

Notably absent is Shipyard, which I ended up not being able to get enough of in time.  I wasn’t that high on Shipyard (as you might notice from its review, but I had hoped to get it in.  Apparently the good people of the greater Raleigh area were big fans and picked it all up while I hesitated.  Also absent is New Holland Ichabod, which I actually am holding as a reserve.  It’s BA rating is 3.45, well below the beer that replaced it (Post Road), so I’m sticking with that for now.  In the event that the only one of these beers not in my personal possession right this second (Heavy Seas) doesn’t make its way here for whatever reason, Ichabod is ready to go.

That puts the matchups as:

1. Southern Tier – Pumking
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8. Blue Moon – Harvest Moon

4. CBC – Cottonwood
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5. Heavy Seas – The Great Pumpkin

3. Weyerbacher – Imperial Pumkin Ale
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6. Big Boss – Harvest Time

2. Dogfish Head – Punkin
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7. Post Road – Pumpkin Ale

My predictions:

Pumking over Harvest Moon, The Great Pumpkin over Cottonwood, Weyerbacher over Big Boss, Punkin over Post Road.  I see Heavy Seas over Cottonwood and Post Road over Punkin as the most likely upsets of round 1.

That puts my projected round two brackets as:

1. Southern Tier – Pumking
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5. Heavy Seas – The Great Pumpkin

3. Weyerbacher – Imperial Pumkin Ale
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2. Dogfish Head – Punkin

I think Pumking takes the top bracket, and Weyerbacher wins narrowly at the bottom.  For the overall winner, my money is actually on the #3 seed, Weyerbacher.  I’d probably rate Pumking as the victor in a personal test, but Southern Tier has a way of flavoring their beers that I’ve seen wear out tasters in the past, which is absolutely what happened to Choklat in the tournament of stouts.  People liked it and then got sick of it.  Pumking is more drinkable than Choklat, though, so it might have what it takes to power it through.  Anyhow, this should be fun.  Can’t wait till Saturday!