Peaks & Pints Tournament of Beer: Best PNW Breweries April 7
Two days in, and the bracket is starting to tighten its grip.
Opening Day was curiosity. Day Two was momentum. Day Three? This is where it starts to feel a little personal.
Some breweries have already moved on, settling into the comfort of survival. Others are staring down the narrow window that still remains — a few hours, a few votes, a few last-minute surges before the bracket makes its quiet, irreversible decisions. This is the part where the tournament stops being casual and starts asking something of you.
Because here’s the truth, simple and slightly ruthless: not voting is a vote. Just not the one you think.
This thing runs on participation — on group texts sent at odd hours, on “did you vote yet?” nudges, on breweries reposting, on regulars quietly (or not so quietly) campaigning for their spot. It’s not just about which brewery is “best.” It’s about which one people show up for.
And people are starting to show up.
Monday, April 6, First Round Best PNW Breweries Games results
The bracket tightens, the conversations get louder, and somewhere between lunch and last call, at least one matchup decides to lose its mind completely.
Day Two of the Peaks & Pints Tournament of Beer: Best PNW Breweries delivered exactly what a living bracket should — a mix of steady hands, rising confidence, and one game that refused to behave until the very last vote slipped into place. The field continues to thin, not dramatically, not all at once, but with the kind of quiet finality that makes you check the results twice just to be sure.
Let’s get into it.
GAME 1, SOUTHERN WASHINGTON REGION
6. Silver City Brewery vs. 11. Narrows Brewing
Some games glide. Others grind. And then there are the ones that wobble back and forth all day like they’ve had too much coffee stout and not enough clarity. Silver City and Narrows never found separation — tied in the morning, tied again in the afternoon, and still refusing to give an inch as the clock crept toward midnight. In the end, it came down to a single vote. One. Narrows Brewing advances, 50.0-something percent to just barely not enough, the kind of finish that turns casual observers into instant historians.
GAME 2, SOUTHERN WASHINGTON REGION
3. Single Hill Brewing vs. 14. Wet Coast Brewing
Single Hill came out early with purpose and never really let the grip loosen. Wet Coast had its moments, a few flickers of pressure, but the Yakima operation kept things controlled, steady, and just out of reach. By the time the dust settled, Single Hill moved on with 58 percent of the vote — not a runaway, but never truly in doubt.
GAME 3, NORTHERN OREGON REGION
5. Von Ebert Brewing vs. 12. Living Häus Beer Co.
There are wins, and then there are statements. Living Häus didn’t just edge past Von Ebert — it set the tone early and held it, the kind of performance that feels less like momentum and more like intent. With 67 percent of the vote, the Belmont greenhouse of lagers and calm precision marches forward, leaving one of Portland’s most decorated operators in its wake.
GAME 4, NORTHERN OREGON REGION
4. Breakside Brewery vs. 13. Gigantic Brewing
Breakside treated this one like it had somewhere to be. From the start, it built a lead, kept the pressure on, and never offered much daylight for Gigantic to work with. When the final votes were counted, Breakside advanced with 74 percent — a clean, confident win from a brewery that continues to move through brackets the same way it moves through award season: efficiently.
Let’s weed through the malt. The following are advancing to the Second Round:
Narrows Brewing
Single Hill Brewing
Living Häus Beer Co.
Breakside Brewery
You can feel it now — the edges sharpening, the matchups carrying a little more weight, the sense that if you blink, your favorite might slip into the “remember when” column without so much as a proper sendoff.
Eight more First Round games drop at 12:01 a.m. on Peaks & Pints’ Instagram Stories. One vote per matchup. Winners advance. Losers drift gently into the “remember when” portion of the conversation. Voting ends at midnight.
So here we are. Day Three.
Check the bracket. Trust your instincts. Back your people.
Because the tournament doesn’t slow down. It just gets louder.
Tuesday, April 7, First Round Best PNW Breweries Games
GAME 1, SOUTHERN WASHINGTON REGION
Matchless Brewing, Tumwater (7) vs. Everybody’s Brewing, White Salmon (10)
Matchless Brewing carries that particular Tumwater electricity — founded in 2016, brewing in the long shadow of one of Washington’s most mythic beer towns, and leaning hard into hop-forward beers with a modern, polished pulse. Their taproom opens onto the working brewery itself, which feels exactly right for a place built on clarity, freshness, and the kind of confidence that comes from knowing your beer can do the talking. This is not a brewery interested in fluff for fluff’s sake. It wants the pour clean, the aromatics loud, and the whole thing just sharp enough to leave a mark.
Matchless Field Notes:
Founded: 2016
Signature move: Hop-forward beers with modern precision
Vibe: Clean, focused, quietly charged
Reputation: Tumwater’s contemporary hop operator
Everybody’s Brewing answers with a very different kind of strength — White Salmon born, founded in 2008 by Christine and Doug Ellenberger, and built around the radical old-fashioned notion that beer should bring people together. The pub has long carried that lived-in, Gorge-town warmth, the sort of place where locals, travelers, mountain people, and thirsty wanderers all seem to land in the same room and somehow make sense together. Even as the brewery has grown and expanded, that family-style center of gravity still seems to be the whole point.
Everybody’s Field Notes:
Founded: 2008
Signature move: Community-driven brewing with broad appeal
Vibe: Welcoming, lived-in, Gorge-rooted
Reputation: White Salmon institution built on connection
Matchless brings the sharp edges.
Everybody’s brings the whole room.
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GAME 2, SOUTHERN WASHINGTON REGION
E9 Brewing, Tacoma (2) vs. Varietal Beer, Sunnyside (15)
E9 Brewing doesn’t really enter a bracket so much as seep into it like smoke from a wood-fired oven — Tacoma-born, deeply rooted, and carrying that rare combination of old-school soul and restless brewing ambition. Founded in 1995, it has long been one of the city’s defining beer institutions, equally capable of pouring a world-class pale ale, a beautifully feral saison, or something barrel-aged and slightly spellbinding. And then there’s the tournament history: a two-time champion that knows exactly how to move through a field like this. The whole thing feels lived in, earned, a little weathered in the best way — less “brand” than presence, the kind of brewery that helped teach a city how to care.
E9 Field Notes:
Founded: 1995
Signature move: Tacoma icon with range from hop classics to mixed-fermentation magic
Vibe: Historic, smoky, soulful, quietly wild, Sean
Reputation: Two-time Tournament of Beer champion with deep roots
Varietal Beer comes in from Sunnyside with a different kind of energy — smaller, sharper, more modern in its movement, but no less intentional. Since 2018, it has built a strong following on clean execution, expressive hops, and the kind of thoughtful brewing that can make even a restrained beer feel vivid. Also, yes, Jennifer Garner has been known to drink a beer there, which somehow feels exactly right — a small, well-made place quietly doing things well enough to draw attention without asking for it.
Varietal Field Notes:
Founded: 2018
Signature move: Precision-driven ales and lagers with modern polish
Vibe: Clean, focused, quietly contemporary
Reputation: Sunnyside’s detail-minded hopheads
E9 knows the path.
Varietal draws a new line.
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GAME 3, NORTHERN OREGON REGION
Fort George Brewery, Astoria (1) vs. Baerlic Brewing, Portland (16)
Fort George doesn’t just brew beer — it builds weather systems. Founded in 2007 in Astoria, it has grown into a coastal force where stouts pour like midnight ink, IPAs crackle with hop electricity, and collaborations like 3-Way IPA ripple across the region like seasonal events you plan around. From Vortex to the annual Festival of Dark Arts, this is a brewery that doesn’t tiptoe into the conversation — it reshapes it, again and again, with a kind of creative gravity that’s hard to ignore.
Fort George Field Notes:
Founded: 2007
Signature move: Bold IPAs, massive stouts, and festival-level spectacle
Vibe: Coastal, collaborative, big-energy
Reputation: Oregon powerhouse with a cult following and national reach
Baerlic Brewing moves with a lighter, quicker step — Portland-born in 2014, rooted in balance, community, and the kind of thoughtful brewing that doesn’t need fireworks to get your attention. Their lagers are crisp, their IPAs clean, their approach refreshingly grounded, like a brewery more interested in getting it right than getting loud. It’s the kind of place that sneaks up on you — one pint, then another, then suddenly you’re telling someone else about it.
Baerlic Field Notes:
Founded: 2014
Signature move: Clean, balanced beers with everyday drinkability
Vibe: Easygoing, welcoming, quietly dialed
Reputation: Portland’s understated favorite for people who know
Fort George brings the storm.
Baerlic brings the balance.
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GAME 4, NORTHERN OREGON REGION
Double Mountain Brewery, Hood River (8) vs. Ruse Brewing, Portland (9)
Double Mountain Brewery rolls in like a Gorge wind — steady, familiar, and a little louder once you realize there’s a soundtrack behind it. Founded in 2007 in Hood River, it has built its reputation on hop-forward classics like Vaporizer Pale Ale while weaving music deep into its DNA — owner Matt Swihart on banjo, lead brewer Matt Coughlin singing, strumming, leading bands, and anniversary parties that feel more like mini festivals (yes, including bands like Cracker). Add in pizza that absolutely rocks, and you’ve got a brewery that feeds both appetite and atmosphere in equal measure.
Double Mountain Field Notes:
Founded: 2007
Signature move: Classic Northwest pales and IPAs with a side of live music
Vibe: Outdoorsy, music-soaked, Gorge-rooted
Reputation: Hood River staple where beer, bands, and pizza collide
Ruse Brewing moves with sharper angles — Portland-born in 2018, blending modern hop expression with a crisp, intentional approach that keeps everything feeling clean, focused, and just a touch elevated. Their IPAs hit with precision, their lagers snap into place, and the whole operation carries a quiet, design-forward energy, as if every detail has been considered and then stripped back to what matters most.
Ruse Field Notes:
Founded: 2018
Signature move: Modern IPAs and crisp lagers with refined execution
Vibe: Sleek, contemporary, quietly exacting
Reputation: Portland’s precision-forward upstart with serious polish
Double Mountain brings the band.
Ruse brings the blueprint.
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LINK: Tournament of Beer Headquarters
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