Round 1, Bout 12 of Master of Marzen 2020 saw 3 Sheep’s Brewing (WI) take on TUPPS Brewery (TX).
Bout 12 sees another new-to-me brewery in Wisconsin’s 3 Sheep’s take on McKinney Texas’ TUPPS, a brewery with which I am quite familiar. It’s going to be awesome to judge these brews, so lets make it happen!
Check out the 2020 Master of Marzen Round 1 draw.
Packaging Design
These breweries took very different approaches to their can design for Oktoberfest 2020.
3 Sheep’s Oktoberfest leans in to the seasonal iconography, leveraging the diagonal checkerboard that’s synonymous with the festival. People in traditional festival garb dance (presumably to Polka), hoisting steins and surrounded by pretzels. It’s about as Oktoberfest-y as you can cram into a static image.
TUPPS has elected for a predominantly black can, with some German red/yellow highlights and a hoisted stein in the center of the can. The clean background of the can aesthetically frame the stein that is busing through.
While I appreciate the clean branding TUPPS displays, it’s hard to out-Oktoberfest 3 Sheep’s can! Running total: 3 Sheep’s 1-0 TUPPS.
Aroma
3 Sheep’s Oktoberfest offers a deep and malty aroma with a touch of sweetness. It’s a powerful and refreshing aroma that really highlights the foundations of the style.
TUPPS’ Oktoberfest has a much milder aroma. It offers a touch of malt and warmth, but is considerably lighter overall.
This point also goes to 3 Sheep’s. Running total: 3 Sheep’s 2-0 TUPPS
Flavor
3 Sheep’s Oktoberfest opens with a milder malt flavor, but it quickly accelerates into a powerful backend. Toasted malts and a sweet twist build into a strong aftertaste that persists throughout.
TUPPS’ version is a much lighter flavored brew. Opening sweet and with lots of lighter malts, it’s a very smooth brew. It creates a somewhat sweet aftertaste that persists.
Both are very tasty brews, but I have to give this point to 3 Sheep’s for executing the fundamentals of the style at a particularly high level. Running total: 3 Sheep’s 3-0 TUPPS.
Body
Mouthfeel wise, 3 Sheep’s is a deep and smooth brew that’s packed with flavor. It toes the line of potentially bloating, but stays in the right place to maximize the experience.
TUPPS is a bit lighter, but equally smooth. Lots of flavor is present considering how light the brew is. A great balance of keeping mouthfeel light and crushable without sacrificing depth of flavor to do so.
Regarding head retention, neither did particularly well. 3 Sheep’s is completely headless, but TUPPS has a very faint foam still present halfway down the glass.
TUPPS’ small head retention translates to some lacing, as you can see in the image above. 3 Sheep’s did not have any discernible lacing.
With the three sub-criteria considered, TUPPS emerges with the point for body. Running total: 3 Sheep’s 3-1 TUPPS.
People’s Choice
As in last year’s tournament, my Instagram followers have the opportunity to shape the decisions of each bout. In the 24 hours directly preceding each bout, a poll is placed on my Instagram story. Whoever has the most votes when the poll closes, takes this fifth criteria. So how did it shape up?
Things were a bit tighter here than in other bouts so far this tournament. That said, TUPPS are clearly the winners of the people’s choice this time around. Running total: 3 Sheep’s 3-2 TUPPS.
Results
Another bout in the books! Tournament newcomers 3 Sheep’s were able to sneak out of round 1 with a 3-2 win over TUPPS. They will continue to round 2 where they face Alternate 6. Should no beer slot into that spot, they will take a bye into round 3 where they will meet the victor or Double Nickel vs. Huss Brewing.
Be sure to check back regularly and to follow me on Instagram for your latest updates and opportunity to vote on each bout throughout the tournament. Until next time, cheers y’all!
Sgt. Suds 