Which of Iowa's best beers will make it to the sweet 16? Vote for your favorites now.
The first round of Beer Brackets voting ended on March 13, and now 32 Iowa beers compete for bragging rights. Since 2016, with an interruption from 2020-2022, the Des Moines Register's Beer Brackets has pitted Iowa breweries and their fan favorite beers against each other. Breweries from Des Moines, Iowa City, and Decorah go up against those in Milford, Cedar Rapids and Clear Lake, and more.
We invite readers to vote for their favorites, sorted into four brackets with eight breweries and their beers remaining in each. One bracket focuses on lagers and ales, another IPAs, a third features stouts and porters, and the fourth is a wild card category that could feature a fruity sour, a lambic, or any other type of beer. Maybe even a cider.
In the first round, 341 people cast 9,090 votes to whittle the contestants down to 32.
This round of voting runs through March 17 at 5 p.m.
This year, 18 breweries elected to participate in Beer Brackets, each recommending a beer or four to compete. The seeds were randomly selected based on which beer the breweries suggested in each category. The Iowa Brewers Guild helped get the word out to breweries about the contest.
Similar to the NCAA hoops brackets, your favorites will battle it out with round-by-round voting through April 8 when a winner is announced. We’ll keep you posted every step of the way until a winner is declared.
This round of voting remains open until March 17; Sweet 16 March 18-21; Elite 8 March 25-28; Final Four April 1-4; and finals April 5-7. The winner is announced April 8.
More: A guide to 21 Des Moines metro breweries and the bike trails closest to them
How can I vote in Beer Brackets?
You can register online at desmoinesregister.com/beerbrackets.
Which Iowa breweries won Beer Brackets in the past?
Last year, Peace Tree Brewing Co.'s Blonde Fatale from the Knoxville brewery that has a location in the East Village in Des Moines won the competition, which had been on hiatus since 2019. That year, the winner was SingleSpeed Brewing's Tip The Cow. The brewery originally opened in 2012 in Cedar Falls and now has a location in Des Moines as well.
Fenders Brewing in Polk City won in 2018 with its Bridge Road brown ale.
Confluence Brewing Co. in Des Moines won with its Capital Gold Lager in 2017.
More: How late can you buy beer in Iowa? All your Iowa liquor law questions answered
And in the first competition in 2016, West O Beer from Milford won with its CocO Stout.
Head online to register and enter your vote for your favorite Iowa beer.
Susan Stapleton is the entertainment editor and dining reporter at The Des Moines Register. Follow her on Facebook, X, or Instagram, or drop her a line at sstapleton@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa's best beers search continues: Vote to advance craft brews to 16
