By Bobby Tanzilo Senior Editor/Writer Published Feb 20, 2020 at 2:53 PM

A number of Milwaukee-area brewers are in the running for awards in USA Today’s 10Best 2020 Readers’ Choice Awards, including Hacienda and 1840 Brewing, which are vying for the Best New Brewery title (founded in the past three years).

"Craft breweries are opening in record numbers in the United States, hundreds each year," notes the contest page. "USA TODAY 10Best wants to find the best new breweries in the country, ones founded in the past three years (since the beginning of 2017), so we asked a panel of beer experts to nominate their favorites. Now it's your turn to pick a winner."

1840 is currently in the lead in its category.

As the name suggests, readers vote for their favorites, which means you can take part, by going here and voting before 11 a.m. on Tuesday, March 17.

Winners will be announced on Friday, March 27.

Who else can you vote for?

Well, Hacienda’s It Just Does Weird Things juicy IPA is up for best beer label, The Explorium – in Southridge – is competing for best brew pub and Milwaukee is up for best beer scene, against the likes of Portland (both of them), St. Louis, Chicago, Seattle, Bend and Asheville, among others.

Milwaukee is currently in fourth place. That must not be allowed to stand!

Madison’s annual Great Taste Midwest – a popular event for Brew City beer fans – is up for best beer festival.

Vote early and often, Milwaukee. 414 let’s have one more!

Bobby Tanzilo Senior Editor/Writer

Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.

He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.

With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.

He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.

In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.

He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.