We are down to the final four of the 2014 Basketball World Cup of Beer. Two weeks ago, we had 24 beers, a beer for each of the nations in the FIBA World Cup of Basketball. Now we are down to the medal rounds. Here are your semi-final pairings:
Old Harbor Kofresi Stout (Puerto Rico) vs Admiral Benson (France)
Sierra Nevada Torpedo IPA (USA) vs Little Creatures Pale Ale (Australia)
It’s time to find out who plays for gold and who battles for bronze…
Old Harbor Kofresi Stout (Puerto Rico) vs Admiral Benson (France)
The bombs are fired off hard here. Old Harbor came into this competition as an unknown quantity and quickly established itself as a legitimate contender. A creative stout from a region not exactly known for its quality brews, the Puerto Rican entry has excelled throughout. The lone European beer to make the medal rounds, Admiral Benson, came in as a beer with a fighting chance of going far but soon turned into a serious player. Neither of these nations was expected to have a beer in the latter stages, both have slaughtered all before them before finally meeting head to head. The call is tough but the variety of fruity flavours in Admiral Benson just swing it for the French entry.
Winner: Admiral Benson (France)
Sierra Nevada Torpedo IPA (USA) vs Little Creatures Pale Ale (Australia)
It was a meeting that looked on the cards from day one but the road to the final four wasn’t as smooth as either of these beers is on the palate. Sierra Nevada’s Torpedo IPA overcame the deepest group in the competition and a stern test in the last eight to make it this far. Little Creatures won its group but it wasn’t easy and was pushed to the limit in the quarter finals. This clash of the anglophones is tasty. Little Creatures brings tremendous balance and a distinct feel to one of the more popular forms of beer on the planet. Torpedo somehow keeps everything together in making an IPA with pretty much everything going on. Frankly, to give these beers the fairest of tests I’d have to destroy my liver. I’m going to stop just shy of that to make the call. The battle-tested men of the west keep on trucking.
Winner: Sierra Nevada Torpedo IPA (USA)
So there you have it, we now know who will compete for the yet-to-be-purchased trophy of the Basketball World Cup of Beer. It’s the USA against France, Sierra Nevada Torpedo IPA vs Admiral Benson, for gold and Australia’s Little Creatures vs Puerto Rico’s Old Harbor Kofresi Stout for bronze. The bronze medal match is Wednesday, we announce the champions on Friday.
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