Round 2, Bout 1 of Master of Marzen 2021 sees TUPPS Brewery (Texas) vs. West Side Brewing (Ohio).
TUPPS is a third time entrant of this tournament and received a first-round bye this year. West Side Brewing are first time entrants who defeated Ironshield Brewing in Round 1. Let’s get rolling.
Packaging Design
Two reasonably similar can here, both leveraging large swathes of black space and a Bavarian check background.
TUPPS’ can focuses on a giant stein of tasty beer being thrust forward. A red and yellow boarder around the Oktoberfest motif bleed into the black space, a clever way to build the German flag into the design.
West Side’s can leverages a monochrome logo separating the black space from the Bavarian check. It’s a clean and minimal can.
While I tend to side with clean and minimal, I think TUPPS used some very clever ways to add some depth to their can here. With that said, they take this point. Running total: TUPPS 1-0 West Side.
Aroma
TUPPS’ brew offers an intense aroma. Malty and warm, a slight heat lingers on the nose. The malts are more earthy than sweet, but both qualities are present.
West Side’s brew offers a comparably intense aroma, but it has different qualities. A sweeter smelling malt dominates the aroma, with a slight earthy quality on the back end.
After a few more sniffs, I give the slightest edge to West Side here. Running total: TUPPS 1-1 West Side.
Flavor
TUPPS’ Oktoberfest is a uniformly flavorful brew, offering a firm malty backbone with a quite dry and very slightly bitter quality that holds on the aftertaste but does not build.
West Side’s brew opens a little milder, but soon sees a rush of malts hit the tastebuds. A toasted malt bitterness dominates the backend and creates a pleasantly dry and bitter aftertaste that builds a little between sips.
On the balance of which is a preferable flavor experience, the edge has to go to West Side here. Running total: TUPPS 1-2 West Side.
Body
TUPPS’ is a mid-bodied brew that offers a reasonably high carbonation point. The bubbles are refreshing without bloating, making for a bit of a bitey brew. It presents as straw colored and highly translucent.
West Side’s brew is also mid-bodied, but a significantly smoother brew with a lower carbonation and a strong propensity to coat the mouth. It has a much deeper amber color and is a bit more translucent than the picture below suggests.
As you can see above, TUPPS retained its head better, but West Side clearly laced better. These two really cancel each other out, meaning mouthfeel is the decider here.
With that in mind, I’m giving this to the cleaner and smoother West Side. Running total: TUPPS 1-3 West Side.
People’s Choice
As is tradition, the fifth criterion is a People’s Choice chosen by public polling on my Instagram account. Let’s see how that turned out.
As you can see, West Side takes this with a narrow margin of 52% to 48%. Running total: TUPPS 1-4 West Side.
Results
Two brews entered, but only West Side will be progressing to Round 3 where they’ll meet the winner of Saint Arnold vs. Hop & Sting.
Be asure to check back regularly for updated results, and to follow @sargentsuds on Instagram so you can vote on all polls throughout the tournament.
Sgt. Suds 