Brewers’ Bracket at ‘Halftime’: Vote for your favorite Denver or Front Range brewery

By Jonathan Ingraham March 9, 2023 | updated 3 years ago

March Madness for local beer enthusiasts

aafc0c425b7ff3f5ccb53c4819227b2f (Eddie Clark)

Editor’s note. Polls for the Sweet 16 are closed. The Elite 8 voting starts at 11 a.m., today.

Thursday marked the halfway point or ‘Halftime’ in the match ups of breweries for The Denver/Front Range Brewers’ Bracket — and a couple of upsets are currently happening.

But the big battle brewing going into the second half is between relative newcomer Black Shirt Brewing in Denver and well established Mountain Sun Brewery in Boulder. The two breweries are neck and neck, separated by only five votes!

New Terrain in Golden is battling back Oskar Blues from Lyons, and Great Divide in Denver is holding off New Belgium heading into the second half.

Check the bracket below to see the first half results. Voting is still open on all polls until 11 a.m., Thursday, March 16.

There is little doubt college basketball fans will be following their favorite team during March Madness, but we’ve made our own bracket to vote in: The Denver/Front Range Brewers’ Bracket.

For the next two weeks, the round of 16 will be published on our website and social media channels for you, plus you can read about each brewery, and VOTE. Starting March 16, the round of 8 will be online and social media for voting. Starting March 23, the Final Four breweries will face head-to-head. Starting March 30, the last two remaining breweries will battle over the weekend to determine which Denver or Front Range brewery is Champion in 2023. We will combine votes from both online and social media polls to announce the winner.

A four-person panel narrowed down the breweries in Denver and the northern Front Range to the top 16 according to Yelp, Trip Advisor, and suggestions on Reddit.

Round 1

A. Great Divide Brewing vs. New Belgium Brewing

B. Jagged Mountain Craft Brewery vs. Left Hand Brewing

aafc0c425b7ff3f5ccb53c4819227b2f (Eddie Clark)

C. Station 26 Brewing Co. vs. Gilded Goat Brewing

Station 26 Brewing in Denver, Colorado. (Dennis Huspeni, Denver Gazette)

D. Denver Beer Co. vs. Odell’s Brewing Co.

Denver Beer Company in Lowry offers several brews and house made, small batch non-alcoholic beverages. It opens its fourth taproom on Feb. 25 in Denver’s Lowry neighborhood at 7070 E. Lowry Blvd. ([email protected]://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/e0e72b1f57c381b73731db78749ceca8?d=mm&r=g)

E. Tivoli Brewery vs. Avery Brewing Co.

A student skateboards past the Tivoli Brewery building on Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022, on the Auraria Campus in Denver, Colo. (Timothy Hurst/The Gazette) ([email protected]://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/aca82bd62b4ee425c598527cd6faa1b1?d=mm&r=g)

F. Black Shirt Brewing vs. Mountain Sun Brewery

A mural decorates the side of Black Shirt Brewing Co and Craft Pizza Kitchen on Wednesday, March 1, 2023, in Denver, Colo. (Timothy Hurst/Denver Gazette) ([email protected]://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/aca82bd62b4ee425c598527cd6faa1b1?d=mm&r=g)

G. Dry Dock Brewing vs. Rock Cut Brewing

Dry Dock Brewing Co’s South Dock, one of their two locations, is on East Hampden Avenue on Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023, in Aurora, Colo. (Timothy Hurst/Denver Gazette) ([email protected]://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/aca82bd62b4ee425c598527cd6faa1b1?d=mm&r=g)

H. New Terrain Brewing vs. Oskar Blues Brewing

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Vote in the 2023 Brewers Bracket at denvergazette.com. (Denver Gazette)

Jonathan Ingraham

Reporter