PORTLAND, Ore. — Only one of four top-seeded breweries was chosen by Business Journal readers to remain in the Oregon Beer Showdown for Round 2, "The Thirsty 32."
No. 1 seeds Ninkasi Brewing of Eugene, Portland's Widmer Bros. Brewing and Rogue Ales in Newport were each eliminated by 16-seeds Lucky Labrador Brewing of Portland, Upright Brewing of Portland and Oregon City Brewing, respectively.
Only No. 1-seeded Deschutes Brewery of Bend survived its challenge from Portland's Logsdon Farmhouse Ales.
Other big beer makers that fell short included Springfield's Hop Valley Brewing, Bend's 10 Barrel Brewing and Hood River's Full Sail Brewing. Ownership by Anheuser-Busch of Widmer and 10 Barrel, and by Molson Coors of Hop Valley, may have hurt their standing among local beer enthusiasts who favored locally owned craft brewers.
Other well-established large or mid-sized brewing companies hit a sweet spot with readers and were among those that received the most votes as shown in the chart below.
The top five vote-getters, including Deschutes, were all seeded No. 3 or higher. Last year's showdown champion, Boneyard Beer of Bend, received the 12th-most votes in its match with wild-yeast brewer De Garde Brewing in Tillamook. Three-time past showdown champion, Ecliptic Brewing of Portland, received the most votes, followed by Hood River's pFriem Family Brewers and Fort George Brewery in Astoria.
The first round this year ends at 11:59 p.m. on Oct. 30. Subsequent rounds will take place over the next five weeks. You can cast your vote by clicking on the survey above.
Click here to see the full bracket and, "Prost!"
