This March, as fans everywhere cheer on their favorite college basketball team, Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant will host its own tournament – pitting casks of beer from all nine locations against each other to determine this year’s champion.
Guests can participate by visiting specified Iron Hill locations during the various rounds, drink the featured beers and decide which location will move closer to becoming the Firkin’ March Madness winner by helping finish their favorite firkin.
“During each round, guests can expect some amazing beers, March Madness-inspired dishes and a raffle to win prizes like Iron Hill shirts, Mug Club memberships, selections from our Bottled Reserves and more,” shared Director of Brewery Operations Mark Edelson.
For the competition, every Iron Hill will enter a cask beer in each round. Guests will be able to cast a vote for their favorite beer, with points awarded for the top vote-getter and also for the first firkin kicked in each round. The location that accumulates the most points over all three rounds will be named champion.
The Firkin’ March Madness cask tournament schedule is listed below. The competition is detailed below first by round, and date and time, and then by the location of the challenge and what specific beers will be featured.
FIRST ROUND
Saturday, March 17, 1 p.m. until 5 p.m.
Chestnut Hill, PA (8400 Germantown Avenue)
- West Chester’s Irish Coffee Porter vs. Wilmington’s Chocolate Leprechaun
North Wales, PA (1460 Bethlehem Pike)
- Maple Shade’s Coconut Rising Sun vs. Lancaster’s Contender IPA
Maple Shade, NJ (124 East Kings Highway)
- Chestnut Hill’s Rye IPA vs. North Wales’ Pineapple WOW vs. Newark’s Vanilla Coffee Porter
Saturday, March 17, 5 p.m. until 9 p.m.
Lancaster, PA (781 Harrisburg Pike)
- Phoenixville’s Winter Warmer vs. Media’s Cinderella Ale
SECOND ROUND
Saturday, March 24, 1 p.m. until 5 p.m.
Newark, DE (147 East Main Street)
- Chestnut Hill’s Rye IPA vs. Media’s Cinderella Ale
West Chester, PA (3 West Gay Street)
- Lancaster’s Contender IPA vs. North Wales’ Pineapple WOW
Media, PA (30 East State Street)
- Maple Shade’s Coconut Rising Sun vs. Phoenixville’s Winter Warmer vs. West Chester’s Chocolate Cherry Stout
Phoenixville, PA (130 East Bridge Street)
- Wilmington’s Chocolate Leprechaun vs. Newark’s Vanilla Coffee Porter
FINAL ROUND – All 9 locations will go head-to-head
Saturday, March 31, 4 p.m. until 8 p.m.
Wilmington, DE (710 South Madison Street)
- Newark’s Vanilla Coffee Porter vs.West Chester’s Cinnamon Vanilla Porter vs.Media’s Cinderella Ale vs.Wilmington’s Chocolate Leprechaun vs. North Wales’ Pineapple WOW vs. Phoenixville’s Anvil Ale vs. Lancaster’s Contender IPA vs. Maple Shade’s Coconut Rising Sun vs. Chestnut Hill’s Rye IPA
During competitive drinking hours, guests can enjoy delicious themed dishes representing the regions of the other big March tournament including:
- East Region – Crab Cake Slider with remoulade sauce and Deli Dog with sauerkraut, chopped onion and spicy brown mustard
- South Region – Smoked Pork Slider with sweet mustard sauce and coleslaw and Slaw Dog with creamy coleslaw, sautéed Vidalia onions and chopped bacon
- Midwest Region – Barbecue Beef Brisket Sliders with smoked gouda and jalapeno and Chili-Cheese Dog with ale-beef-and-bean chili, cheddar, Monterey jack and chopped onion
- West Region – Salmon Soft Taco with red cabbage-jalapeno slaw, picco de gallo and chipotle-thousand island dressing and LA Dog, bacon-wrapped with sautéed poblano peppers and onions and avocado-lime crema.
For more information about Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant, or to make a reservation at any of their locations, please visit ironhillbrewery.com. Find Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant’s Chestnut Hill location at 8400 Germantown Avenue in Philadelphia or visit them online at ironhillbrewery.com/chestnuthill.
Photographs credited to Laura Taylor and Amy Strauss.
