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.
2024 was won by Half Acre with my pre-show odds set for 8-1 for the best barrel aged craft beer spot in Chicago with the unexpected, but always reliable Orin. Orin winning the event as a BA Brown Ale surprised many but it’s a beer worth annually revisiting for a reason.
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.
Breweries with multiple locations are consolidated into 1 inclusive entry for betting purposes
| Brewery Entrants | Opening | Updated |
| 3 Floyds (Munster, IN) | 26-1 | |
| Alesmith Brewing Company (San Diego, CA) | 34-1 | |
| Boulevard Brewing Company (Kansas City, MO) | 60-1 | |
| Breakside Brewing (Portland, OR) | 53-1 | |
| Brothership Brewing (Mokena, IL) | 20-1 | |
| Cerebral Brewing (Denver, CO) | 12-1 | |
| Crooked Stave (Denver, CO) | 18-1 | |
| Cruz Blanca Brewery (Chicago, IL) | 21-1 | |
| Fair Isle Brewing (Seattle, WA) | 22-1 | |
| Firestone Walker Brewing (Paso Robles, CA) | 15-1 | |
| Forager Brewery (Rochester, MN) | 12-1 | |
| Forbidden Root (Chicago, IL) | 25-1 | |
| Goose Island Beer Company (Chicago, IL) | 17-1 | |
| Hailstorm Brewing Co (Tinley Park, IL) | 45-1 | |
| Half Acre Beer Co (Chicago, IL) | 6/1 | |
| Hidden Hand Brewing (Naperville, IL) | 12-1 | |
| Idyll Forest Artisan Ales – Pyres (Minneapolis, MN) | 50-1 | |
| Imperial Oak Brewery (Willow Springs, IL) | 24-1 | |
| Incendiary Brewing (Winston-Salem, NC) | 35-1 | |
| Jackie O’s Brewery (Athens, OH) | 15-1 | |
| LunaR Brewing (Villa Park, IL) | 60-1 | |
| Maplewood Brewing (Chicago, IL) | 13-1 | |
| middle brow (Chicago, IL) | 60-1 | |
| Mikerphone Brewing (Elk Grove Village, IL) | 14-1 | |
| Monochrome Brewing (Chicago, IL) | 16-1 | |
| Movement Brewing (Rancho Cordova, CA) | 40-1 | |
| More Brewing Co. (Villa Park, IL + Huntley, IL + Bartlett, IL) | 7-2 | |
| Neuronova Brewing (Chicago, IL) | 20-1 | |
| New Image Brewing (Wheatridge, CO) | 28-1 | |
| Off Color Brewing + Mousetrap (Chicago, IL) | 14-1 | |
| Old Irving Brewing Co. (Chicago, IL) | 24-1 | |
| other half brewing (Brooklyn, NY) | 16-1 | |
| Penrose Brewing Company (Geneva, IL) | 75-1 | |
| Pipeworks Brewing (Chicago, IL) | 20-1 | |
| Reserve Artisan Ales (Galesburg, IL) | 85-1 | |
| Resident Culture Brewing (Charlotte, NC) | 16-1 | |
| Revolution Brewing (Chicago, IL) | 12-1 | |
| Riverlands Brewing Company (St Charles, IL) | 12-1 | |
| Seedz Brewery (Union Pier, MI) | 20-1 | |
| Streetside Brewery (Cincinnati, OH) | 19-1 | |
| The Lost Abbey (San Marcos, CA) | 8-1 | |
| Transient Artisan Ales (Bridgman, MI) | 16-1 | |
| Verboten Brewing and Barrel Project (Fort Collins, CO) | 26-1 | |
| Whiskey Hill Brewing Company (Westmont, IL) | 18-1 | |
| Weldwerks Brewing Co (Greeley, CO) | 9-1 | |
| Wren House Brewing Company (Phoenix, AZ) | 20/1 | |
| Xul Beer Company (Knoxville, TN) | 22-1 | |
| Field (any brewery competing but not listed above) | 5-2 |
Things to consider
- Judging is blind and done on Friday. Winners are announced in the middle of Saturday’s session
- Breweries from the Midwest have a higher win rate, but also a higher participation rate in general
- Wilds have been winning more Best In Show titles recently
- No Stout has won Best in Show since 2018 with Fundamental Observation from Bottle Logic
- Last 5 winners have been Half Acre, Hidden Hand, The Lost Abbey, Tin City, Bottle Logic
- 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 2025
- American Solera
- Martin House Brewing
- Listermann Brewing (previous Best in Show winner, RIP)
- Phase Three (biggest surprise to me as they’ve become Chicago’s barrel aged juggernaut)
- Triptych
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, the NBA Finals, and other various wild bets. So while these are for entertainment purposes, they’re not without substance either.
Koel Story Bro 