PHILADELPHIA, PA – A homebrew IPA blind taste test competition ended controversially when the beverage that was crowned winner turned out to just be a glass of Jarritos Pineapple Soda, confused spectators confirmed. The delicious soft drink went undetected amongst the sea of hazy bottle pours.

“This one right here was the best,” said judge Don Sholl, swishing the liquid around in his mouth. “It’s got that pineapple-y sweetness that all IPAs apparently must have nowadays, it’s pithy, but not to a fault, and the carb is dead-on. My only critique would be the clear bottle. Everyone knows UV light is harmful to beer; so I guess it’s even more impressive that this one still tastes so good!”

One of the competition’s brewers, Pat Whelan, thinks he may have an idea where the disconnect happened.

“I figured I was in for a long day today, so I stopped at my favorite local pizza shop near my house,” Whelan said, clearly embarrassed. “I got my normal two slices, just to get a base for all the beer I was about to drink, and they have these flavored sodas from Mexico that I just love. I bought two; one to drink with my lunch, and one for the ride over here. I guess when I put my bottle down someone thought it was an entry into the competition because my OCD makes me peel labels off everything. Honest mistake.”

When trying to inform Don Francisco “El Güero” Hill, founder of Jarritos Soda, of his company’s win at the event, Jarritos sent back the following statement:

Estúpida publicación en línea. Eres un chiste del que nadie se ríe. Risitas se está revolcando en su tumba.

At press time, Whelan was seen arguing that because he technically brought the winning entry, he should be entitled to the event’s grand prize, which was just a different brand of pineapple soda.