The Spring Beer Tourney: The Elite Eight

      Now we are down to just eight beers left, sixteen are gone.  The second round was full of upsets, with the lower seed winning 6 out of 8.  The only high seeds left are #2 SA Red and #3 GB Maibock.  There are no #1s, but both #10s.  Well here is the lineup for the Elite Eight.

  Farm, Hops, and Reds

# 10 Farmers Tan  vs  # 6  Lagunitas Hairy Eyeball

# 2  SA Red  vs  # 5  Red Hook Mudslinger

  Bocks Plus

# 10  Abita Mardi Gras Bock  vs  # 3  GB Maibock

# 9  Mendocino Bock  vs  # 5  Pandora's Bock

      This is such a great time in the Tourney for me cause all the crap has been weeded out.  From here on out it's all good.  On to more drinking.

The Spring Beer Tourey: # 2 Sam Adam's Red vs # 9 Dundee Red

      Sam Adam's was the class of the reds last year and was in the Final Four.  Dundee was not impressive in the first round, but escaped with a win.  They're both red, but Sam looks a bit thicker.  Sam has nice honey caramel and a hint of citrus and mocha on the nose.  Dundee has sour caramel and a bit of mocha.  Sam has nice clean caramel, citrus and mocha with a hop bite that hits on the finish.  Dundee is still to damn fizzy, but the flavors aren't too bad.  Wait this is so inferior.  Sam's is up by twenty at the half.  People file out, it's over.  By far the most lopsided win  by far.  SA Red is good stuff. Well that's the last of the second round matches, time for the Elite Eight.

The Spring Beer Tourey: # 1 Anchor Bock vs # 10 Abita Bock

      This is another # 1 vs # 10 seed battle.  Abita Mardi Gras bock has been a surprise for me, it's pretty good. Anchor Bock was last years runner up.  Anchor is a brown color with honey, caramel, mocha and prune on the nose.  Abita has really nice flavors of honey, caramel and citrus.  It also has a nice bit of body to it.  Anchor also is awash with good  flavors as well.  Mocha, prune, dried fruit, citrus and smoke.  This is a very strong dark bock, nice.  These are both quite good,but this Abita Bock is a real revelation.  I could drink a hundred of each of these, but I'll have a hundred and one Abita Bocks.  Boy not a good year for the one seeds.  Abita moves on to the Elite Eight.

The Spring Beer Tourey: # 2 Big Thaw vs # 9 Mendocino Bock

      Big Thaw is a Spring Bock from Dominion, whose Spring Buck won the Tourney last year.  Mendocino Bock beat Aprihop in the first round.  Big Thaw is straw with big caramel, citrus and herb on the nose.  Mendo is amber with a kind of weak citrus and caramel nose.  The thaw is pretty hop heavy, way stronger than the other bocks.  It still has decent caramels and citrus though.  Mendo has real nice flavors of honey, caramel and citrus.  Thaw is a decent hop heavy bock, but this is no contest at all.  Mendocino Bock is quite a bit better.  I can live without Thaw, much worse than last years Spring Buck.  

The Spring Beer Tourey: # 1 Garde Dog vs # 10 Farmers Tan

      This is a bit unfair for the # 1 seed, cause if I hadn't got rid of the terrible Nectar Nugget this would be a cakewalk.  Instead, the # 10 seed is now the very good Southern Tier Farmers Tan.  Against this is one of the final four beers from last year, Flying Dog Garde Dog.  They are both a cloudy straw. The Dog has honey, citrus and farm, while Tan has herb, honey and caramel on the nose.  The Dog has strong flavors of honey,citrus a bit of yeast and farm.  It's pretty good.  Tan is strong with honey, caramel, citrus, herb and farm.  That is such a good beer.  These are really the same beer.  the flavors are quite similar, but the Tan is stronger in flavor and precious alcohol.  They are both good but Farmers Tan is better.  This is hardly fair.  Life is not fair.

Analysis:  Wow a 10 seed beats a 1 seed.  Might be a tourney of upsets.

The Spring Beer Tourey: # 4 Harpoon Red vs # 5 RH Mudslinger

      The # 4 seed is Harpoon Celtic Ale, just a classic red.  The # 5 seed is Red Hook Mudslinger.  I get why there would be a lot of mud in Spring, but this is the only brown ale this spring, odd.  Harpoon is orange with nice caramel and a little citrus on the nose.  Mud is light brown with caramel, mocha and floral notes.  Celtic is a standard red with toasted caramel and citrus herb bite.  It's not bad, but not exciting.  Mud is kind of odd, it's a weak brown ale red ale cross, I think.  Caramel, mocha and herb.  I'll keep on and see were it goes.  The Harpoon is decent, but the mud seems a little more interesting.  Neither of these beers inspire me.  I guess Mudslinger is a bit better, but they can both go away as far as I'm concerned.  The Mud moves on.

The Spring Beer Tourey: # 3 GB Maibock vs # 6 Yuengling Bock

     Back  in the Bocks Plus Region we have two hopefully yummy bocks. # 3 Gordon Biersch Maibock lost in the first round last year,but they were victims of a bad match-up.  Yuengling Bock is new to the tourney.  GB pours light amber with honey, caramel and citrus on the nose.  Yueng is a very light brown with strong caramel and light mocha.  GB steps up with big flavors of honey and caramel with citrus herb on the finish.  It also brings a big body.  Yueng also brings it strong with the flavor, nice caramel and mocha, but there's a bit of an odd aftertaste.  It has body, but a gulp of the GB washes any trace of it away.  GB has that almost syrupy thick body to it. Nice.  The Yuengling has nice flavors, but Gorden Biersch has it all. GB wins, but I could go for a six of this Yuengling Bock, it's good.