Huge Minnesota Beer Bracket drama as reigning champ Schell's falls, Surly barely hangs on

Editor's note: Voting for the Foamy Four is now closed, but come back Wednesday to make your picks in the finale.

Call it the last-second shot. The do or die.

Surly eked out a stunning victory over rival Summit as time expired — by 57 votes. Fifty-seven! That's out of more than 10,000. Talk about a nail-biter. Talk about redemption (for last year's early exit). Talk about DRAMA.

Hey, this is March. Can't nobody stop it! Now, the action heats up. Fulton, fresh off a massive upset of last year's champ, Schell's, has a date with red-hot Surly. Can anyone take down the giant?? Will the momentum of last round's heroics propel them to the finish line? Castle Danger and Bent Paddle, meanwhile, battle for the North Shore crown. The 2-seed and the 3-seed will have to gut. it. out.

And, you know what this means: we're setting up a Twin Cities vs. North Shore final. City vs. Woods! Mississippi vs. Superior! Prince vs. Dylan! And beer things too! It's enough to make a fan go wild.

But careful, don't spill your brew.

Say hello to your Foamy Four. Voting is open now and will close at 5 p.m. Sunday (March 25).

Now let's look at how we got here.

Surly (1) – 5,260 total votes (50.3 percent)
Summit (5) – 5,203 total votes (49.7 percent)

Castle Danger (2) – 5,651 total votes (54 percent)
Dangerous Man (6) – 4,772 total votes (46 percent)

Schell's (4) – 4,813 total votes (46 percent)
Fulton (8) – 5,645 total votes (54 percent)

Bent Paddle (3) – 5,774 total votes (55 percent)
Indeed (7) – 4,687 total votes (45 percent)

Some more thoughts!

*Surly's skid past Summit represents the smallest margin of victory – a miniscule 0.6 percent – in tournament history. Yes, we realize this glorious shebang is only in its second year, but we still think that's pretty epic. The 5,260 votes were also the fewest of any winner in this round. So, does the No. 1 seed have the strength to move on?

*Down goes last year's champ. And Schell's didn't even put up much of a fight on its way out. The 832 votes that lifted Fulton into the Foamy Four as an 8-seed – assuming the role of Cinderella in a field full of chalk – made for a shockingly easy win. Hey, you can't stay on top forever. Even UVA (RIP Cavaliers) knows that.

*Bent Paddle grabbed the most votes of any beer squad, claiming the largest margin of victory for the second straight round. You could say the Duluth brew is cruising. But Castle Danger is no pushover.