Basketball World Cup of Beer: Round 2 – Part 1

We’ve reached the knockout stages of the 2014 Basketball World Cup of Beer. The 24 nations from each of the nations in the FIBA World Cup of Basketball are each represented by a beer. Now only 16 remain. Today we’ll see 8 of those become 4 in our first set of second round match-ups. Here are the pairings.

Zajecarsko (Serbia) vs Ozujsko (Croatia)
Admiral Benson (France) vs Quilmes Cristal (Argentina)
8 Wired Superconductor DIPA (New Zealand) vs DOA IPA (Mexico)
Sierra Nevada Torpedo IPA (USA) vs Volfas Engleman Rinktinis (Lithuania)

Now to find our quarter finalists…


Zajecarsko (Serbia) vs Ozujsko (Croatia)
We have two beers here that got favourable seedings out of weak groups and it really shows. Neither of these is top 8 standard but there’s no question which beer comes out on top. For all it’s faults, there is at least some tanginess and hints of citrus with Ozujsko. Zajecarsko’s only strength is its drinkability. Ozusjko matches it on that front. A clear winner.
Winner: Ozusjko (Croatia)

Admiral Benson (France) vs Quilmes Cristal (Argentina)
One of the best beers in the tournament against a weak and flavourless lager. There’s no debate. France wins with ease.
Winner: Admiral Benson (France)

8 Wired Superconductor DIPA (New Zealand) vs DOA IPA (Mexico)
Now this is a tough one. DOA is a really good beer, well worth its seeding but its run into the most underseeded competitor in the second round. There are no faults in DOA, it’s just that 8 Wired manages to out-perform in flavour, body, and variety. It saddens me to say goodbye to Mexico’s finest.
Winner: 8 Wired Superconductor DIPA (New Zealand)

Sierra Nevada Torpedo IPA (USA) vs Volfas Engleman Rinktinis (Lithuania)
Well this is just a rout. Torpedo is a beast on the far side of the single IPA range that manages to keep everything together and taste great. Its opponent is a bad beer.
Winner: Sierra Nevada Torpedo IPA (USA)

There you have it. We now know half of our quarter finalists. Come back tomorrow to see who joins this fearsome foursome in the last eight.

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