Futures – Best in ShoW
We love to mix our beer and our gambling over here (see March Madness for details,) so we’re back again with this years list of odds to win. In the pandemic event-less version of FOBAB 2020, a precedent was set as for the first time, as a cider won Best in Show at the Festival of Wood and Barrel Aged Beer. I truly think this was a low point for the event, judging wise. Yes there is a cider, mead and perry category and the presence of those at the festival is welcome. But they fundamentally are not beer and should not be eligible for best in show. It’s kind of in the same ridiculous vein that 3 of the top 4 Untappd breweries are also meaderies.
With that in mind, let’s acknowledge last year’s first ever non-beer to win FOBAB Best In Show, Malus at the Palace from Tin City Cider. This is the first time in our short 4 year history of doing FOBAB odds that the Field bet was the winner. In this instance, the Field paid 5/1. This left the Best in Show Runner Up as the Best Beer of FOBAB, Whiskey Hill BA Seismic Overlay.
There are 160 breweries submitting beers to the event in 2021
Opening line is the brewery’s line, taking beers into account that have been announced by participating breweries. The lines may be updated as more beer entries become known. I’m obviously not booking your action, so you’ll have to find another degenerate to bet your money and beers with. Maybe try DraughtKings or something. Have at it.
| Brewery Entrants | Opening | Updated |
| 3 Floyds (Munster, IN) | 21/1 | |
| Allagash Brewing (Portland, ME) | 28/1 | |
| Bottle Logic Brewing (Anaheim, CA) | 5/1 | |
| Breakside Brewing (Portland, OR) | 50/1 | |
| Central Waters Brewing (Amherst, WI) | 20/1 | |
| Cerebral Brewing (Denver, CO) | 13/1 | |
| Creature Comforts Brewing Company (Athens, GA) | 25/1 | |
| Cruz Blanca Brewery (Chicago, IL) | 15/1 | |
| Dovetail Brewery (Chicago, IL) | 50/1 | |
| Finch Beer Co (Chicago, IL) | 90/1 | |
| Firestone Walker Brewing (Paso Robles, CA) | 16/1 | |
| Forbidden Root (Chicago, IL) | 35/1 | |
| Foreign Exchange Brewing (Aurora, IL) | 18/1 | |
| Goose Island Beer Company (Chicago, IL) | 10/1 | |
| Grimm Artisanal Ales (Brooklyn, NY) | 26/1 | |
| Half Acre Beer Co (Chicago, IL) | 4/1 | |
| Hailstorm Brewing Co (Tinley Park, IL) | 45/1 | |
| Hop Butcher for the World (Chicago, IL) | 20/1 | |
| Imperial Oak Brewery (Willow Springs, IL) | 15/1 | |
| Jackie O’s Brewery (Athens, OH) | 9/1 | |
| Lil’ Beaver Brewing (Bloomington, IL) | 14/1 | |
| Listermann Brewing Company (Cincinnati, OH) | 12/1 | |
| Liquid Love Brewing (Buffalo Grove, IL) | 28/1 | |
| Maplewood Brewing (Chicago, IL) | 9/1 | |
| Mikkeller Brewing San Diego (San Diego, CA) | 18/1 | |
| Mikerphone Brewing (Elk Grove Village, IL) | 7/1 | |
| Miskatonic Brewing Company (Darien, IL) | 20/1 | |
| More Brewing Co. (Villa Park, IL + Huntley, IL) (2x entries) | 6/1 | |
| New Holland Brewing Company (Holland, MI) | 100/1 | |
| Off Color Brewing + Mousetrap (Chicago, IL) (2x entries) | 15/1 | |
| Old Irving Brewing Co. (Chicago, IL) | 17/1 | |
| Other Half Brewing (Brooklyn, NY + Washington DC) (2x entries) | 8/1 | |
| Phase Three Brewing (Lake Zurich, IL) | 9/1 | |
| Pipeworks Brewing (Chicago, IL) | 24/1 | |
| Prairie Artisan Ales (Tulsa, OK) | 15/1 | |
| Resident Culture Brewing (Charlotte, NC) – Sympathetic *WINNER* | 17/1 | |
| Revolution Brewing (Chicago, IL) | 10/1 | |
| Rhinegeist Brewing + Rhinegeist Innovation Brewing (Cincinnati, OH (2x entries) | 19/1 | |
| Riverlands Brewing Company (St Charles, IL) | 18/1 | |
| Tin City Cider (Paso Robles, CA) | 20/1 | |
| The Lost Abbey | 12/1 | |
| Transient Artisan Ales (Bridgman, MI) | 14/1 | |
| Urban Chestnut Brewing Company Midtown + The Grove (St. Louis, MO) (2x entries) | 30/1 | |
| Whiskey Hill Brewing Company (Westmont, IL) | 5/1 | |
| Wolf’s Ridge Brewing Pub + Productiong (Columbus, OH) (2x entries) | 21/1 | |
| Wren House Brewing Company | 25/1 | |
| Field | 5/1 |
Things to consider
- Judging is blind
- Breweries from the Midwest have a higher win rate, but also a higher participation rate in general
- Wilds historically win less than dark beers
- Last 5 winners have been Tin City, Bottle Logic back to back, More Brewing and Listermann Brewing
- Here’s a link to all past winners
- Certain breweries have multiple locations that have submitted locations that will be totaled under one brewery selection.
Notable breweries absent from FoBAB 2021
- Forager
- Hidden Springs
- Horus
- Pure Project
Qualifications
These futures are for entertainment purposes. With that said, I worked in Las Vegas sportsbooks for 3 years between Caesars Palace and CG Technology’s M Resort sportsbook. I’ve crafted Super Bowl props that took actual action on SB44, NBA Finals props, and other various wild bets. So while these are for entertainment purposes, they’re not without substance either.
Koel Story Bro 
Afterthought will be submitting an entry, they posted on social media: https://www.instagram.com/p/CV6R4aBpSYZ/
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Thanks for the call out. FOBAB didn’t have them listed as a brewery
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