2023 Bottle Share Tournament Summary
Date – August 26, 2023
Location – The ASIF Compound, aka Rudy Whalzano School
Participants – 18
Bottle Entrants – 34
#1 Overall Seed – Toppling Goliath, Coconut Pecan Vanilla Assassin
Champion – Side Project- Pulling Nails 14, Jenna Weeks
Full Bracket Results
2023 led to our 8th Bottle Share Tournament, in scenic Noble Square, Chicago. Following a busy Spring and early Summer, we needed to push the original March Madness Bottle Share Tournament all the way until late August. We took the chance to run with a beach theme.
Our mascot Spaulding the whale got some summer shades and a sick fin floatie. Our basketball became a beach ball, and we slayed 15% stouts in an air conditioned basement.
HOPLEAF Region
Lead by strong adjunct stouts in the #1 and #2 seeds, this tournament didn’t lead with upsets as had happened frequently in recent years. Hopleaf was a region dominated by the chalk (favorites, high seeds.) A concentration of highly touted vanilla stouts were present here including the #1 Coconut Pecan Vanilla Assassin, Aviothic, and Planifolia from Phase 3, BA German Chocolate Cake from Boiler, and BA World Between Worlds from Arclight/Monochrome.
3 of the 4 opening round matchups were split decisions from the judges with just Coconut Pecan Vanilla Assassin advancing unanimously. The highly touted BA German Chocolate Cake won a difficult 3-way matchup knocking off Aviothic, and a personal lambic favorite of mine, Robijn from 3 Fonteinen. It would advance before being knocked off by CPV Assassin. Continuance B3 came out of the bottom of the region beating Pure Project Enchidirion and BA World Between Worlds. Meeting in the Elite 8 matchup Coconut Pecan Vanilla Assassin won its matchup with a unanimous 3-0 judges decision to make it to the Final Four.
Coconut Pecan Vanilla Assassin became the first #1 overall seed to make it to the Final Four since Toppling Goliath Mornin Delight in 2019 did it.
Map Room Region
The Map Room region, inspired by famed Bucktown Chicago craft beer bar of the same name featured another Toppling Goliath #1 seed with Assassin 2021. More diverse than the Hopleaf region, in addition to the stouts, there were multiple barleywines, and wilds.
In the first major upset of the tournament, #8 Side Project wild Pulling Nails 14 knocked off a #1 seed Assassin in a 2-1 decision. Reminiscent of the major upset of 2022 with #9 seed Debut from Mexican brewery Cervecera Hercules knocking of BA Seismic Overlay from Whiskey Hill, Pulling Nails 14 surprised early and would continue through the evening, as it then upset Perennial’s TWCP Maman in another split decision.
In the bottom half of Hop Leaf, an old favorite, Leaner from Casey beat the first entrant from Nebraska brewery Corn Coast followed by Structure’s Barleywine “B” in a surprising 3-0 decision. The acid of 6 year old peach beer didn’t hinder the Casey/Side Project collab. However it would succumb in a third upset by Side Project Pulling Nails 14 to advance to the Final Four.
Beer Temple Region
Led by #1 seed Beer Barrel Time Rye from Side Project, the Beer Temple region had 3 vanilla stouts, a few wild saisons, and barleywine. Cervecera Hercules’ El Barro submitted by our favorite Mexican-American Carlos Lerma who last year submitted Debut Cuvee from the same brewery and knocked off a #1, repeated the feat with El Barro knocking off BBT Rye in a split decision. Unlike the Cervecera Hercules cinderella run of 2022, El Barro fell in the second round to Modem Tones Vanilla, a previous champion of the event.
The bottom of the region saw A Thousand Summers from Sante Adarius Rustic Ales beat Jammy from Casey, and subsequently Assassin 2023. This eliminated both non-adjunct Assassins from the tournament. A Thousand Summers ’21 would continue it’s Summer Madness dominance knocking off fellow California brewery Modern Times Modem Tones Vanilla for Sante Adarius 2nd ever Final Four tournament entrant. Interestingly, all matchups in this region were won on 2-1 split decisions.
Bangers & Lace Region
In 2022, this region gave us the winner of the tournament, and #1 seed for the region, VSOJ. In 2023, it had again a #1 seed from Revolution Brewing, Double Barrel VSOJ. This #1 duplicated the start of the 2022’s VSOJ knocking off Horus member beer Exquisite Blend 3.
In a surprisingly rare Cantillon vs 3 Fonteinen matchup, we had raspberries vs cherry raspberries with Lou Pepe Framboise and Hommage 2013. 2 Bottles of exceptional age and quality. Hommage advanced 2-1.
The bottom of the region featured several 3-0 results with Boiler’s Coco Killa AF and Minutiae ’21 from Phase 3 winning their first round matchups. Ultimately the powerful adjuncts from Boiler dominated the barrel purity of Minutiae as Coco Killa AF moved on.
Hommage pulled off a surprising 2-1 upset over #1 DB VSOJ in a matchup that assumed the acidity of Hommage would be detrimental but seemingly cut through fatigued palates. This set up a regional final of Coco Killa AF and Hommage in which Hommage 2013, the #5 seed upset the #2 Coco Killa AF. 3 Fonteinen’s Hommage 2013 arrived in a 2-1 decision to the Final Four
Final Four
In the history of the tournament, a wild beer has made it to the Final Four every year. In 6 of the first 7 years, a wild had made it to the Championship match, but been unable to win. Previously the champions have been stouts, barleywines, and a BA winter warmer. The 2023 Final Four consisted of 3 wilds: A Thousand Summers, Hommage, and Pulling Nails 14, and the #1 overall seed Coconut Pecan Vanilla Assassin.
In a unanimous 3-0 decision, Hommage ’13 defeated SARA’s A Thousand Summers 2021. This was Hommage’s 2nd time to advance to the Championship match following doing so in 2019.
Pulling Nails blend 14 continued its Shermanesque march of upsets beating its second #1 seed of the day, Coconut Pecan Vanilla Assassin in a 2-1 decision, leaving the championship an all sour affair.
In a 2-1 decision, to become the first wild to ever win the Madness Bottle Share Tournament, Pulling Nails blend 14 won the 2023 event. This resulted in a back to back win for Side Project following 2022’s victory by Continuance blend 1. This was the first time a brewery’s beer had won the event twice. Jenna Weeks first entrance to the event continued our run of no repeat champions in the event’s history.
Facts
- Phase 3 had the most entrants with 5 beer selections. Side Project was right behind with 4 entries. Toppling Goliath had 3. Casey, 3 Fontienen, and Boiler all had 2.
- First time brewery entrants included Corn Coast, Structures, Horus, Pure Project, and Barclay.
- Pulling Nails 14 became the first sour/wild to win the tournament in the 8 years we’ve been holding the event.
- The Final Four consisted of 3 sour beers, the most ever.
Koel Story Bro 