March Means Beer Madness

Ripping off names of popular events for your own endeavor is nothing new (anything that ends in "apalooza" should be banned from existence). The Washington Post is doing it's own take with the bracket competition Beer Madness; not to be confused with the original March Madness, Mini-Madness, or even the English ska-band Madness.

We are not disappointed by the Post's sad attempt at naming this event. Nor are we insulted for getting snubbed as judges for the competition. To the contrary, we're just excited to see beer take an almost-front seat in a major newspaper. So, on to the highlights.

First Round
Lager Division: Gordon Biersch Marzen beats Clipper City McHenry Old Baltimore Style Beer. A chain brewpub beats out the locals from Baltimore...way to go judges.

Ale Division: Honkers Ale beats Lord Chesterfield Ale. hmmm...one sounds like an old, grumpy English gentleman. The other sounds like boobs.

Dark Beers Division: Brooklyn Brown and Kalamazoo Stout advance. We are big fans of both so kudos to the judges for getting this division right.

Specialty & Fruit Division: Who cares about beer brewed with fruit?

Tune in next time for our in-depth analysis of Round 2 winners and losers.

Beer, Sharp Objects, and Big Sticks

If there's one thing beer understands it's hockey.

On February 7, 2009, Labatt Blue is sponsoring its 2nd Annual Pond Hockey Tournament on the great shores of Lake Erie in Buffalo, NY. The success of last year's 16 team tournament led to a significant expansion this year. According to the Buffalo News, "this year’s event will be held from 7:30 a. m. to 5 p. m. Feb. 7 at Erie Basin Marina. It will be four times the size of last year’s, with 64 teams competing on eight rinks and in eight divisions — from novice to advanced." Labatt is also adding music, a skills competition, and food and apparel vendors. You can get more information here but if you're looking to play it's too late - the tournament is a sell out.


Schlitz is yet another brewer that understands the unique relationship between hockey and its fans. The "beer that made Milwaukee famous" is now the namesake of a pond arena behind the home of Dean Reder. According to TwinCities.com, Mr. Reder and his friends E-mailed the brewery asking if they'd sponsor the pond at the cost of a 12 pack. Schlitz agreed but delivered 3 cases of beer for the naming rights. Like Labatt, Schlitz has also sponsored pond hockey tournaments, including the US Pond Hockey Championships.