Handicapping The Mad Fox 'Kill the Keg' DC Beer Competition
DC Beer has the tap list involved in this race to the bottom:
Port City - Monumental IPA
Lost Rhino - Zlaty Pils
Chocolate City - The Ugly Sticke
DC Brau - Ground Wolf IPA
Devils Backbone - Eight Point IPA
Mad Fox – Orange Whip IPA
Any want to take bets on what goes down the quickest?
I will, actually, but we're going to need to handicap first. Here's my made up odds that will guarantee the house never loses, except in the event that the hose has no idea how to make odds:
Mad Fox – Orange Whip IPA - 1:1 - I mean, homebar advantage is so huge here. Orange Whip happens to be a fantastic beer to boot, and you've also got to consider that people are going to want to respect the host.
DC Brau - Ground Wolf IPA - 11:2 - Brand recognition give DC Brau the edge over their other hyper-local, brewery-only competitors. I don't know Ground Wolf yet, to be honest, but I don't think that matters.
Port City - Monumental IPA - 6:1 - Port City makes solid beers that are even better at the brewery. The problem is Mad Fox draws a beer drinker that likes unique and complex, and I don't think Port City's super-clean yeast approach will hold up against some of the more interesting beers in the competition. Still, Virginia loyalty gives it the edge over...
Chocolate City - The Ugly Sticke 7:1 - I have limited experience outside of a tasting with Chocolate City, mostly because they seem to be very slow in upping their distribution game, even within the downtown area. That aside, everything I've tasted from their small NE DC brewery has been fantastic. They're too foreign to northern Virginia to be much of a threat here, though, the only brewery on the list other than Mad Fox that I haven't seen at the bottle shops around my house (in part because I don't think they even bottle).
Devils Backbone - Eight Point IPA 40:1 - We've been talking today about the noon PSU-UVA kickoff, and how that simply begs for another trip to the Charlottesville Breweries. My notes from the first trip include lots of misspellings but a glowing review of this beer. Good solid American IPA, but distance from DC and distribution that's just now hitting the area is probably too big a setback.
Lost Rhino - Zlaty Pils 50:1 - I know very little here except that they're -- like Devils Backbone -- outside the beltway but are occasionally seen serving samples at my local Whole Foods. I don't remember much other than it wasn't brewed to my personal preferences and that they're not as strong a brand with the beer snobs that frequent Mad Fox.
So there you are. While the competition is likely already over, I'll stop by tonight to get the scorecard (and a beer) anyway.
