THE WASHINGTON POST’s 2nd ANNUAL BEER MADNESS BREW-OFF IS CURRENTLY RUNNING.
[photopress:beer_madness_a.jpg,full,centered]
Washington Post image
The paper’s dedicated beer reporter, Joe Helm selected 10 experienced beer drinkers to judge this year’s competition. They started with 32 chosen brews that were sorted into four categories: Lagers, Ales, Specialty & Fruit beers, and Dark beers. With eight beers in each category, the taste-off began three weeks ago with head-to-head eliminations much like the NCAA tournament brackets.
This year one of the entrants in the Dark Beers category is a representative of the Hook & Ladder Brewery, its Backdraft Brown has beaten its competition in the first two rounds and is now in the Elite Eight quarter-finals. This week they are going up against the Samuel Adams Honey Porter. That’s tough competition for sure. But they’re all tough from here on out. Last year’s overall winner, Brooklyn Lager was bounced in the second round this year.
[photopress:beer_playoffs_week_3.jpg,full,centered]
Hook & Ladder Brewing Company is based in Silver Spring, Maryland, and was founded by a volunteer firefighter and his brother. Hook & Ladder was founded on the mission of building a business while giving back to each community in which its beers are sold. Hook & Ladder and its wholesale partners donate a portion of all sales to local burn centers and firefighter burn organizations through the A Penny in Every Pint™ and A Quarter in Every Case™ programs. A Quarter in Every Case™ donates 25 cents from each case sold and A Penny in Every Pint™ donates $4 from each barrel to local burn organizations. These efforts have raised over $30,000 in the past 18 months alone.
When asked about their first two victories, Hook & Ladder CEO Matt Fleischer said, “It was a total team effort, no question about it. It was a hard-fought contest, and we gave it 110 percent. But we can’t rest on our laurels or start patting ourselves on the back just yet. We’ll enjoy this win tonight, and then begin preparing for next week.”
The winners of this round will be announced on Sunday and Firegeezer will bring you the results as they happen.
Hook & Ladder Brewing’s website is HERE. Check ‘em out, they have some neat stuff in the “company store.”
For a clearer view of the bracket and to read more about the competition, go the the Post’s webpage HERE. They also have information on all 32 brews entered in this year’s contest.
Recent Comments