Both beers have earned dedicated fans among the Wired staff and friends along the way, and we knew it would be tough for them to see either of these beers knocked out. But we finally have our first Most Wired Beer championship contender, which will take on the winner of tonight’s Highway 101 challenge between Belmont’s Devil’s Canyon brewing Company and Mountain View’s Tied House Brewery.

The Location: Wired HQ

The Beers: Believer Double Red Ale from Ninkasi (Eugene, Oregon) vs. Kellerweis Hefeweizen from Sierra Nevada (Chico, California)

The Method of Dispense: 22-ounce bombers (Ninkasi) and 12-ounce bottles (Sierra Nevada)

How They Fared: ?Sierra’s Kellerweis battled its way to the championship, first upsetting the brewery’s own Torpedo XIPA and then upsetting my beloved Deschutes Black Butte Porter, a perennial Wired favorite, in the second round. The hefeweizen then got a break in the third round when we were forced to disqualify* Dogfish Head’s 60-minute IPA, which had been voted into the tournament by our readers.

But this beer deserved a spot in the Final Four based on how many diehard hefeweizen drinkers were impressed by it, and how many hefeweizen doubters were pleasantly surprised (and even turned) by it. It consistently earned votes for being highly drinkable, balanced and refreshing. One voter in this round commented, “Light, crisp, memories of summer.” Another said “It’s honey deliciousness.”

Having taken out a porter in a tournament where dark beers have fared extremely well, this hefeweizen was a good match for Ninkasi’s Believer Double Red Ale. The Believer landed in the Final Four by defeating Ninkasi’s Total Domination IPA in the first round, besting Mad River’s popular Steelhead Extra Pale Ale in the second, and knocking out Lagunitas’ Little Sumpin’ Wild by a slim two votes in the third.

Believer has also consistently pleased regular dark-beer drinkers like me, as well as surprising people who would never try a dark beer unless it was given to them for free in a beer tournament and they were told they were required to taste it. The beer has earned believers among the Wired staff and readers alike, inspiring thoughts of tattoos and beer strikes. Kishore Hari of UCSF said that if Believer didn’t win the match, he would “quit beer” or take his anger out in the comments section, or worse.

But we’ll never know if those were empty threats because Believer triumphed and is headed to the championship event to contend for the title of Most Wired Beer.

Check out the complete October Madness bracket, with recaps on all the events.

*Here’s what happened: We asked Dogfish Head which of their beers was most widely distributed so we could involve readers across the country in the voting for some of the events. They suggested their 60 Minute IPA, which readers then chose to go up against Anchor Steam. The IPA won that round and was set to take on Kellerweis when we discovered it is not available in the Bay Area. Or California. Or the West coast. Or anywhere in the western half of the country. So, our bad planning is to blame, and we apologize to the readers who voted for this beer.

Coming up: Our second Final Four match between Tied House Brewery’s Ironwood Dark and Devil’s Canyon Brewing Company’s Full Boar Scotch Ale takes place tonight at Wired HQ. The championship is scheduled for Dec. 9 at Wired HQ.

Image: Erik Malinowski/Wired.com

Follow us on Twitter at @wiredplaybook, and @beerrobot.

Authors: Betsy Mason

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