Beverly Breweries Square Off In Hop Review's Elite Eight

CHICAGO — What's becoming a March tradition in Chicago in recent years has been the Readers' Choice Chicago Brewery Bracket, a March Madness-style tournament to find the most popular brewery of the year in Chicago and its suburbs. And in 2019, the results in the South region have been all about Beverly.

The 64-brewery bracket is now down to its Elite Eight. Vying for the South region championship are seventh-seeded Horse Thief Hollow and eighth-seeded Open Outcry Brewing. See the full, updated bracket here.

"The South region took in the most votes, setting up a battle for Beverly, as the neighborhood’s two far South Side breweries now match-up," the Hop Review wrote of this bragging rights match-up.

Who would have thought these friendly Beverly neighbors would match up so late in the bracket? Horse Thief Hollow was our original bracket champion (2016), so there’s no denying the incredible following they’ve garnered since they opened back in 2013. Open Outcry is the relative ‘new kid on the block’, but has also struck a chord with the South Side neighborhood. Who will take home the Beverly crown?

Both neighborhood breweries defeated three others in the South region to advance to this point.

"It's pretty wild that we're going head to head against Outcry this late in the bracket," Horse Thief Hollow Owner Neil Byers said. "It says a lot about the relationships we have developed within the community and the city in general. We're both blessed to have 2 incredible brewers, great staff and successful businesses."

"I'm most thrilled about the fact that Open Outcry and Horse Thief's advancement has brought attention to Southside beer and the business community in Beverly-Morgan Park," Brand added. "Both Neil and I see every week how having two breweries in close proximity to each other, that can be visited in a single trip, has driven traffic to Western Avenue from other parts of the city and the suburbs."

The two competing breweries worked together on a fun project last year that gained attention in the neighborhood and beyond. Together they created the "Rainbow Connection" flight of beers, each brewery brewing two beers based on the flavors of the iconic Rainbow Cone ice cream down the street.

"We have both worked hard to improve the South Side with charitable work and promotion of the great assets of Beverly," Byers said.

Voting in the Hop Review's Horse Thief Hollow-Open Outcry match-up is open until 5 p.m. on Sunday, March 31. Vote here.