Peaks and Pints Tournament of Beer Headquarters

Peaks & Pints, a craft beer bar, bottle shop, and restaurant in Tacoma’s Proctor District, hosts the Tournament of Beer every April. The Tournament follows the same logic as the NCAA March Madness college basketball tournament—through a seeded bracket system, 64 themed beers battle for craft beer supremacy.

Peaks & Pints asks our patrons and the public to seed the tournament every February. We poll people for their favorite beer under a specific theme, thus determining seedings and matchups in the knockout bracket.

The top 64 vote getters — the cream of the hops — compete Monday through Friday at tournamentofbeer.com (forwards to peaksandpints.com) in April. Through online voting, craft beer drinkers pick daily winners until the best beer is crowned. It’s just like March Madness, but with way more alpha acids.

The IBU-to-IBU battle grand champion is announced at the Tournament of Beer Party at Peaks & Pints. The final two beers battle live, pouring from our Western red cedar tap log, and the champion brewery receives a trophy and permanent handle at Peaks & Pints through the spring and summer of that year.

The Peaks & Pints Tournament of Beer will celebrate its 10th anniversary in April 2026, when 64 Northwest breweries in Washington and Oregon will compete. Look for the nomination solicitation in February 2026.

*Fort George Brewery Sales Executive Kyle Vormestrand celebrates his Vortex IPA winning the Peaks & Pints 2025 Tournament of Beer: Northwest IPAs.*

Tournament of Beer: Northwest IPAs 2025

The public nominated 64 Washington and Oregon-brewed Northwest-style IPAs for the Tournament of Beer: Northwest IPAs, which ran April 4-26, 2025. Fort George Brewery Vortex IPA beat E9 Brewing Realize Real Lies in the Championship Game on April 26, 2025.

Tournament of Beer: Northwest IPAs Championship Game recap

Tournament of Beer: Northwest IPAs Final Four preview

Tournament of Beer: Northwest IPAs games

Tournament of Beer: Northwest IPAs preview

*Peaks & Pints co-owner Pappi The Grey called many of the Tournament of Beer: Northwest Ambers games’ play-by-play.*

Tournament of Beer: Northwest Ambers 2024

The public nominated 64 Washington—and Oregon-brewed amber and red ales for the Tournament of Beer: Northwest Ambers, which ran April 5-27, 2024. Triplehorn Brewing’s Folkvang Red Ale beat Boneyard Beer’s Diablo Rojo in the Championship Game on April 27, 2024. The Tournament of Beer: Northwest Ambers had a Lord of the Rings theme.

Tournament of Beer: Northwest Ambers Championship Game recap

Tournament of Beer: Northwest Ambers Final Four preview

Tournament of Beer: Northwest Ambers games

Tournament of Beer: Northwest Ambers preview

**Peaks & Pints bartenders Phaedra Miller and Brandon Crespin called most of the Tournament of Beer: Northwest Pale Ales games.**

Tournament of Beer: Northwest Pale Ales 2023

The public nominated 64 Washington and Oregon-brewed pale ales for the Tournament of Beer: Northwest Pale Ales, which ran April 7-29, 2023. E9 Brewing Don of Time pale beat Boneyard Beer Bone-A-Fide in the Championship Game.

Tournament of Beer: Northwest Pale Ales Championship Game

Tournament of Beer: Northwest Pale Ales Final Four preview

Tournament of Beer: Northwest Pale Ales games

Tournament of Beer: Northwest Pale Ales preview

*Peaks & Pints bartenders Claire Binich and Mitchell Lovett discuss the Tournament of Beer: Northwest Lagers.*

Tournament of Beer: Northwest Lagers 2022

The public nominated 64 Washington and Oregon-brewed pale and light lagers for the Tournament of Beer: Northwest Lagers, which ran April 8-30, 2022. E9 Brewing Detour Ahead, a hoppy lager, beat Pelican Brewing Pelicano Extra! Mexican lager in the Championship Game.

Tournament of Beer: Northwest Lagers Championship Game

Tournament of Beer: Northwest Lagers Final Four preview

Tournament of Beer: Northwest Lagers games

Tournament of Beer: Northwest Lagers preview

Peaks & Pints bartenders Bethany and Sarah Jane discuss the Tournament of Beer: NW Double IPAs Great Eight.

Tournament of Beer: NW Double IPAs 2021

The public nominated 64 Northwest double IPAs for the Tournament of Beer: NW Double IPAs that ran April 2-24, 2021, with Block 15 Brewing Sticky Hands beating Bale Breaker Bottomcutter in the Championship Game.

Tournament of Beer: NW Double IPAs recap

Tournament of Beer: NW Double IPAs Championship preview

Tournament of Beer: NW Double IPAs Final Four preview

Tournament of Beer: NW Double IPAs games