Advancing to the second round:

Speakeasy Big Daddy IPA. This beer has a very loyal following. As one voter put it, “When I travel, I always take Big Daddy.” So it was surprising when Prohibition Ale snuck up and nearly stole the match, losing by just one vote. Big Daddy moves on to challenge another first round winner.

Deschutes Black Butte Porter. This well balanced, rich and smooth porter is both an excellent representative of this type of beer and a good starter Porter for those who haven’t gotten on this train yet. The Black Butte narrowly edged out Mirror Pond Pale Ale in the challenge at Twitter HQ by two votes.

Anderson Valley Boont Amber Ale. Despite drawing the hottest day of the year for this challenge, the darker, hoppier Boont trounced the Summer Solstice Cerveza Crema at Bullitt bar in San Francisco’s Russian Hill neighborhood. Both beers are interesting and taste different than you might expect based on their color and smell, but Boont was the clear winner.

Thirsty Bear Rum Runner. This dark and malty ale is brewed with molasses and packs a lot of flavor. Again, the darker, richer beer won this challenge over the lighter Valencia Wheat. The Valencia did surprise a few people though, and people who aren’t normally fans of this style of beer found themselves enjoying it.

Mendocino Eye of the Hawk Select Ale. This beer weighs in at 8 percent alcohol and soundly defeated its less boozy sibling, Red Tail Ale. While the Red Tail goes down smooth and easy, the Eye of the Hawk is the more interesting and challenging of the two, which appealed to the staffers who tasted it at Wired HQ.

Where to find the next beers:

Tied House: Friday Oct. 1 at the brewery in Mountain View, 5:30-7:30 pm

Lagunitas Brewing Company: Tuesday, Oct. 5 at Bullitt, San Francisco, 6 pm

New Belgium Brewing Company: Wednesday Oct. 6 at Shotwells Bar, San Francisco, 6 pm

Ninkasi Brewing Company: Wednesday, Oct 13 at The Hotel Utah, 5:30 pm

Images: Betsy Mason/Wired.com

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

See Also:

• Beer Battle at Twitter HQ Goes Black Butte’s Way
• Ancient Nubians Made Antibiotic Beer
• Science + Geek + Beer = Awesomely Geeky Science Beer

Authors: Betsy Mason

to know more click here