Seacoast Breweries Bracket down to elite eight: Vote for your winners here
The Seacoast Breweries Bracket is down to the elite eight round, with our readers moving closer to choosing their favorite craft beer brewery in Seacoast New Hampshire and southern York County, Maine.
The competition is presented by Seacoastonline.com and Fosters.com, and we invite you to vote each week through the final round. The bracket started with 28 breweries. Twenty-four competed in the first round with 12 winners advancing to the round of 16, along with four breweries that received first-round byes. Now it's on to voting in the quarterfinals.
Today, we are announcing the round of 16 winners and the start of voting for the second-round matchups.
Seacoast Breweries Bracket round of 16 results
Liar's Bench Beer Co. (566 votes) defeated Sawbelly Brewing (286).
SmuttyNose Brewing (494) defeated Stripe Nine Brewing Co. (380).
Portsmouth Brewery (431) defeated Woodland Farms Brewery (301).
Great Rhythm Brewing Company (546) defeated Empty Pint Brewing Co. (185).
Definitive Brewing Co. (497) defeated Back Hill Beer Co. (333).
Deciduous Brewing Company (441) defeated Chapel + Main (292).
Tributary Brewing (425) defeated Loaded Question Brewing (330).
Stoneface Brewery (632) defeated Four Pines Brewing Co. (241).
How to vote in Seacoast Breweries Bracket
Voting begins Wednesday, March 15 for the bracket's quarterfinal round and runs through Sunday, March 19. Scroll below to find descriptions of all eight breweries and vote. Click or tap for your choice of the winner in each of the matchups.
On Wednesday, March 22, we'll announce the four winners, along with the matchups for the semifinals, and a new round of voting will begin. The cycle will repeat every Wednesday-Sunday for each round until the champion is announced in early April.
Stoneface Brewery vs. Tributary Brewing
Stoneface Brewery, Newington: What started out with a winning entry in the Boston Homebrew Competition in 2013 has snowballed into one of the most popular craft beer brands on the Seacoast and beyond for Stoneface founders Peter Beauregard and Erol Moe. With that award winning IPA recipe still in the fold along with other staples like the popular Half Clip and Full Clip, the duo has seen their Newington brewery grow exponentially over the last decade with a planned 23,400-square-foot brewing facility and restaurant just down the street on tap next for this fixture.
Tributary Brewing, Kittery: It’s safe to say that beer lovers across the Seacoast were blessed in 2014 when legendary New England brewer Tod Mott, decided to open his own brewery on Shapleigh Road in Kittery with his wife, Galen. Tod Mott, who was known for brewing the iconic Harpoon IPA and the highly acclaimed Kate the Great Russian Imperial Stout for the Portsmouth Brewery, is still pushing the brewing envelope at Tributary, which has become a magnet for beer lovers across the region. Kate the Great, now named “Mott the Lesser” still hits the taps twice a year at Tributary and, as you can imagine, does not last too long.
Deciduous Brewing Company vs. Definitive Brewing Co.
Deciduous Brewing Company, Newmarket: When handicapping any Seacoast craft beer bracket it would be foolhardy to look past this powerhouse in Newmarket. Although it features a small tasting room, Frank and Maryann Zagami’s brewery has been delivering big flavors for quite some time, much to the delight of beer lovers across the state and beyond. Whether it be any one of their juicy IPAs or fruity sours, there are very few craft brew lovers in the area who don’t have “12 Weaver Street, Newmarket” saved in their GPS.
Definitive Brewing Co., Kittery: Opening up a brewery in the shadow of national craft beer giant Allagash Brewing is not for the faint of heart, but that is exactly what a group of friends did in 2018 at Portland’s famed brewery epicenter on Industrial Way and Definitive Brewing Co. has not looked back since. In May 2020, the brewery brought its top-notch tap list to Route 1 in Kittery, much to the glee of many a weary shopper who would rather sip a Spirals, one of Definitive’s trademark juicy double IPAs, than tackle the spiraling checkout lines of the nearby outlet stores.
Great Rhythm Brewing Company vs. Portsmouth Brewery
Great Rhythm Brewing Company, Portsmouth: Standing out as a craft brewery in a target-rich environment like Portsmouth is not an easy task, but it's one Scott Thornton and his Great Rhythm Brewing Co. have passed with flying colors. The once-vacant warehouse space behind Ace Lumber on Bartlett Street in Portsmouth’s once-sleepy West End has been transformed into a sparkling magnet for beer lovers across New England. When the weather warms up the two large garage doors in the expansive tasting room roll up, and beer lovers can grab their favorites — Tropical Haze and Squeeze are as good a place to start as any — and head for the large patio overlooking North Mill Pond.
Portsmouth Brewery: In a rapidly growing landscape that has seen many of the establishments in this brewery bracket challenge crop up in the last decade, Portsmouth Brewery proudly stands alone. Nestled in the heart of Market Square since 1991, the iconic brewpub holds the title of the state’s first brewpub and craft brewery. Founded by craft beer visionary Peter Egelston, who went on to found Smuttynose a few years later, the brewery has served as the ultimate public house in downtown Portsmouth for the last 32 years. Along the way, many talented brewers have passed through its seven-barrel brew room, including Tributary Brewing founder Tod Mott.
Smuttynose Brewing vs. Liar's Bench Beer Co.
Smuttynose Brewing, Hampton: A true heavyweight in any craft beer bracket, Smuttynose Brewing Co. is one of New Hampshire’s original craft breweries. After starting in Portsmouth in 1994, it spread its wings to a sprawling campus off Towle Farm Road in Hampton. You can still find tried and true favorites like the iconic Finestkind IPA and Old Brown Dog Ale, along with a slew of new classics from head brewer Dan Shubert and his talented staff. With a beer garden, restaurant, and plenty of live entertainment, it is a Seacoast staple.
Liar’s Bench Beer Co., Portsmouth: By definition, a “liar’s bench” is a place where locals gather to talk and share their stories, which oftentimes are embellished just a wee bit. There’s no need to embellish the fact that this brewery, which was founded in 2016 by University of New Hampshire college roommates Dane Nielsen, head brewer, and Dagan Migirditch, has one of the most unique setups around. Tucked away in an old plumbing supply warehouse off Islington Street, Liar's Bench boasts an eclectic tasting room that gives way to a sprawling beer garden behind it. Love Duck, a pale ale, and Young Upstart, a tasty IPA, are two of the staples on a rotating and playful tap list.