— at least I think — so there was no chance of attack last night as the brewery’s Rum Runner and Valencia Wheat battled to see who would advance in our October Madness beer tournament.

The Location/Brewery: ThirstyBear, 661 Howard St., San Francisco

The Beer: Rum Runner and Valencia Wheat

The Method of Dispense: Two shot glasses from the ThirstyBear bartender

How They Fared: Valencia Wheat, like many light wheat ales, goes down easy with a refreshing citrus aftertaste. But a high fermentation temperature puts this beer well above your average supermarket bottle of Blue Moon. “Refreshing and easy to drink,” said one fan. “My faith in wheat beers has been renewed.” Others found Valencia Wheat’s orange peel and coriander notes more pleasing than its fuller-bodied rival.

Still, Rum Runner, a dark ale made with organic blackstrap molasses, was a wildly popular choice on the night. “Sweet, but not overbearing,” said one taster who normally prefers lighter brews. “Malty and boozy,” raved one taster, while another summed it up succinctly: “Delicious!”

In the end, Rum Runner ran away with the voting, commanding a five-vote victory over the Valencia Wheat, and so Rum Runner moves along in our quest to crown the Most Wired Beer.

Coming up: The next October Madness event will be Friday night, 5:30-7:30 p.m., at Tied House in Mountain View, so come down to the heart of Silicon Valley and try some of their Ironwood Gold and Alpine Dark.

Photo: Flickr/JB in Pacifica, CC

Stay tuned to @wiredplaybook and @beerrobot for updates on attending future October Madness events in the Bay Area. Follow us on Twitter at @erikmal and @wiredplaybook and on Facebook.

Authors: Erik Malinowski

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