Pregame Analysis: Who's Ready for Regicide?
The Western Conference is packing some heavy hitters, including Budweiser. The reigning King is, of course, heavily favored, but experts are not ruling out several of the others. Modelo Especial is one in a stable of Mexican contenders in this competition. Though they enter the tournament as a 2 seed, analysts believe they have the easiest route to the Finals in the West. In the first round, they face Dixie, a scrappy but unproven team from the Gulf Coast. Assuming they can clear that hurdle, Modelo would face either Pilsner Urquell, whose program has suffered from its sharp, distinct flavor in the past few years, or the almost unknown Molson Golden. If pitted against Budweiser in the Elite Eight, insiders give the advantage to Modelo, whose perfect mix of mild exoticism, familiarity, and perceived authenticity might give the underdog the edge it needs to dethrone a King.
That said, my Final Four pick from the West is Peroni. The Italians pulled a 5 seed, and will be evenly matched in the opening round when they take on the Japanese Saporro. Though both the Italians and Japanese have built dynasties on crisp finishes (and, coincidentally, fascism), Peroni's boldness will make it a dark horse in the opening match, and in the tournament as a whole.
OK. Enough with this nonsense. Let's get to the games!
Results
A panel of five judges determined the outcomes of these matches. Votes/scores are listed in (parentheses).
Post-game Recap: Unforeseeable Upsets Unforeseeable Upset #1: Dixie vs. Modelo Especial (Round of 32)--This match sent shockwaves through the tournament. Even the judges did not expect the decisiveness of victory from this little beer out of New Orleans, LA. Modelo may have suffered (in the eyes of wimps) from lack of lime, but ultimately Dixie's creamy texture led them to a 4-1 victory.
Unforeseeable Upset #2: Sapporo vs. Budweiser (Sweet 16)--I did not expect Sapporo to advance past the first round by knocking out my dark horse favorite, so of course one of the most shocking moments of the night came during the dethroning of Bud. Though it came down to the wire, Sapporo's bite eeked out the victory in this match. The boring but trusty Everyman that is Budweiser just could not stand up to the flashy Japanese import.
Unforeseeable Upset #3: MOLSON!?!?!?!?!?--Yes, from the first round, everyone expected Molson to be eliminated, but the Canadian beer most likely to be the inspiration for Strange Brew would not give up. Molson took out the strong- (overly?) flavored Pilsner Urquell to move to defeat the smooth-drinking Dixie. When it came down to Molson vs. Saporro, it was clear who the winner was going to be. Molson takes the bracket and moves on the the Final Four. Though it was not evident at the start of the round, this tournament definitely favors the easy-drinking beer. With so many beers to drink, inebriation and desire for water (or, at least, beer that tastes like water) definitely take their toll on the judges. Beers with flavor, you have been warned.
Unforeseeable Upset #4: Stomachs--I just need to mention that I had no idea how full and sick I would feel during and after the round. Next time, no pre-beers, in-between beers, post-beers, or Chicago-style pizza.
COMING UP...We travel to the Eastern Bracket, where experts say the weakest top seeds (Heineken, Beck's) will battle it out with 6 others!!!!!! NEEEEEEEEEXXXXXXT.
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