Seacoast Breweries Bracket down to final two: Vote here to crown the champion

And then there were two.

What started out as a beer lover’s dream bracket of 28 craft breweries four weeks ago will reach a frothy head this week in the Seacoast Breweries Bracket championship. The final showdown features an exciting border battle as top seed Smuttynose Brewing of Hampton of New Hampshire takes on Kittery’s Definitive Brewing of Maine.

After winning four straight matches to reach the final, Definitive founder Mike Rankin is hopeful his brewery’s army of devoted followers will once again turn out to push Definitive over the finish line.

“We are incredibly fortunate to have the best and most loyal fans, and an incredible staff,” Rankin said. “Our fans and staff want to see us succeed, and we wouldn't be where we are today without them.”

The inaugural 28-brewery bracket is brought to you by Seacoastonline.com and Fosters.com. Readers have been voting each week, moving closer to choosing their favorite craft beer brewery in Seacoast New Hampshire and southern York County, Maine.

It has been quite the tourney ride for Definitive, which opened its flagship brewery five years ago this May in the shadow of industry giant Allagash Brewing on Portland’s famed Industrial Way and two years later, a tasting room on Route 1 across from the Kittery Trading Post. Definitive edged Exeter’s Czar’s Brewery in a wild one in the first round with the most votes recorded in the entire tournament. From there Rankin and Co. knocked off Rochester’s Back Hill Beer Co. to set up a showdown with a familiar face, and one of the bracket’s four top seeds, Deciduous Brewing.

“We are best friends with (Deciduous founder) Frank (Zagami) and the team at Deciduous,” Rankin noted of the Newmarket powerhouse. “I am traveling with him to a festival this weekend, and I plan to hassle him a bit about our win!”

The victory over Deciduous set up an all-Kittery semifinal against Tod Mott’s popular Tributary Brewery, which blazed its own impressive path through the bracket. In the end, however, the newcomers in town had just enough to narrowly advance over Tributary, 1,299 to 1,177, but Rankin was quick to point out that there are no losers in this friendly competition.

“Tod is an industry legend, and we are honored to have joined Tributary in Kittery,” Rankin said. “This is a tough time to be in the beer industry, and we have a great deal of respect for all the breweries in the tournament.”

As a top seed, Smuttynose received a first-round bye but still had a daunting trail to the final as well. The home of such iconic brews as Finest Kind IPA and Old Brown Dog, Smuttynose survived a robust challenge from Somersworth’s Stripe Nine in the second round and then hung on for dear life against Portsmouth’s Liars Bench Beer Co., for a 41-vote win (1,184 to 1,143).

“It’s been fun seeing the bracket progress and everyone here has been very invested in the outcome,” said Smuttynose head brewer Dan Schubert, who is coming out with new innovation brews this year with Easy Kind, Blackberry Smash, Fruit Freak and a limited release Brewer’s Choice series.

“It’s a great way to shine a light on the hard work and dedication of everyone at Smuttynose.”

In what turned out to be a matchup of the state’s oldest brew pub (Portsmouth Brewery, 1992) and its oldest craft brewery (Smuttynose, 1994), both founded by Peter Egelston, it was the sprawling brewery off Towle Farm Road in Hampton that survived in last week’s semis, 1,403 to 1,301, to advance to the finals.

Just a year shy of its 30th birthday, Schubert can only marvel at the talent that has come in and out of the brew room at Smuttynose over that span.

“There are some incredible brewers who’ve worked here and gone on to create their own mark in the craft beer world from Dave Yarrington at Chapel+Main, Dane Nielsen at Liars Bench, Cody Floyd at Ledge Brewing, to Joe Drouillard at Allagash and Tyson Demers at Orono Brewing,” Schubert said. “Ultimately, we're just happy to be part of the incredible Seacoast craft beer community.”

How to vote in Seacoast Breweries bracket

Voting begins for the semifinal round on Wednesday, March 29 and runs through Sunday, April 2. Scroll below to find descriptions of both breweries and vote. Click or tap for your choice of the winner. The champion will be officially announced next week.

Definitive Brewing Co. vs. Smuttynose Brewing

Definitive Brewing Co., Kittery: Opening up a brewery in the shadow of national craft beer giant Allagash Brewing is not for the faint of heart, but that is exactly what a group of friends did in 2018 at Portland’s famed brewery epicenter on Industrial Way and Definitive Brewing Co. has not looked back since. In May 2020, the brewery brought its top-notch tap list to Route 1 in Kittery, much to the glee of many a weary shopper who would rather sip a Spirals, one of Definitive’s trademark juicy double IPAs, than tackle the spiraling checkout lines of the nearby outlet stores.

Smuttynose Brewing, Hampton: A true heavyweight in any craft beer bracket, Smuttynose Brewing Co. is one of New Hampshire’s original craft breweries. After starting in Portsmouth in 1994, it spread its wings to a sprawling campus off Towle Farm Road in Hampton. You can still find tried and true favorites like the iconic Finestkind IPA and Old Brown Dog Ale, along with a slew of new classics from head brewer Dan Shubert and his talented staff.  With a beer garden, restaurant, and plenty of live entertainment, it is a Seacoast staple.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Seacoast Breweries Bracket poll, the final two: Vote for champion here