Peaks & Pints Tournament of Beer: Best PNW Breweries April 15 — Second Round

And now it tightens.

The First Round — all 64 breweries, all that chaos, all those late-night votes and “wait, how did that happen?” moments — has done its work. What’s left is 32. Not just good. Not just popular. Surviving.

This is where the Tournament changes shape.

Because the easy decisions are gone. The casual scroll-and-tap is gone. What remains are matchups that feel personal — brewery versus brewery, yes, but also style versus style, city versus city, philosophy versus philosophy. Legacy squares up against momentum. Precision stares down personality. And somewhere in between, your favorite is suddenly very, very vulnerable.

You can feel the shift. The margins tighten. The arguments get louder. The stakes — however gloriously unofficial — start to feel real.

This is the round where reputations get tested.

Some breweries arrive here like inevitabilities, rolling in on consistency and history, their path forward feeling almost prewritten. Others slip in sideways — lower seeds, close calls, just enough votes — carrying that dangerous energy of a team that’s already survived once and isn’t particularly interested in stopping now.

And that’s the beauty of it.

Because this thing isn’t decided in a judging hall or a quiet panel discussion. It’s decided in real time — by you, by your friends, by that one stubborn vote cast while standing at a bar arguing about lagers versus haze. Every tap, every share, every nudge shifts the outcome just enough to matter.

So here we are.

Thirty-two breweries. No safety net. No easy paths.

The Second Round begins today. Winners move one step closer. The rest become stories — great beers, great breweries, just a little short of the moment.

But, first, a recap of yesterday’s final First Round games.

Tuesday, April 14, First Round Best PNW Breweries Games Results

And just like that, the First Round closes its tab.

Sixty-four breweries entered — nominated, debated, texted about, argued over across bar tops and group chats — and now we’re down to 32. Not by committee. Not by panel. By you. By every tap, every vote, every last-second decision that nudged one brewery forward and sent another into the long, hazy archive of “they should’ve gone further.”

Yesterday’s final four games felt fitting — no wild chaos, no Cinderella stampede, just four breweries stepping forward with clarity and enough momentum to carry them into the Second Round. The bracket didn’t explode. It tightened.

Without further ado, let’s weed through the malt.

GAME 1, NORTHERN WASHINGTON REGION

6. Structures Brewing vs. 11. Mirage Beer

Structures did what it’s been doing every tournament — no noise, just execution. With 78% of the vote, the Bellingham brewery leaned into precision and pulled away from Mirage’s artful, unpredictable energy. Mirage never lacked intrigue, but Structures kept it clean, controlled, and firmly in command.

GAME 2, NORTHERN WASHINGTON REGION

3. Stoup Brewing vs. 14. Icicle Brewing

Stoup’s leap continues. With 63% of the vote, the Ballard-born, risk-it-all success story moved past Icicle, whose mountain-rooted, sustainability-driven approach kept things grounded but couldn’t quite overcome Stoup’s momentum. Another steady, confident advance.

GAME 3, SOUTHERN OREGON REGION

1. Block 15 Brewing vs. 16. Terranaut Beer

Block 15 holds form. At 67%, the Corvallis standard-setter proved that range and reputation still carry weight, fending off Terranaut’s fresh energy and early hardware. The Bend newcomer showed flashes, but Block 15’s foundation held strong.

GAME 4, SOUTHERN OREGON REGION

8. Crux Fermentation Project vs. 9. Claim 52 Brewing

Crux keeps moving. With 69% of the vote, the Bend mainstay opened things up and never really let Claim 52’s technicolor fruit storm fully take hold. It wasn’t subtle, but it was decisive — Crux advances with room to spare.

Let’s weed through the malt. The following are advancing to the Second Round:
Structures Brewing
Stoup Brewing
Block 15 Brewing
Crux Fermentation Project

And with that, the First Round is complete.

Thirty-two breweries remain.

The Second Round begins.

Wednesday, April 15, Second Round Best PNW Breweries Games

GAME 1, NORTHERN WASHINGTON REGION

Georgetown Brewing, Seattle (1) vs. Urban Family Brewing, Seattle (9)

Georgetown doesn’t chase the moment — it becomes the baseline. Since 2003, it’s been pouring the kind of beer that quietly defines a city, Manny’s moving through Seattle like infrastructure, always there, always right, a brewery built on consistency so dialed it borders on myth.

Urban Family moves differently — bright, saturated, and unapologetically modern, turning fruit, haze, and acidity into full-spectrum flavor experiences. From Ballard, they’ve built a following that doesn’t just drink the beer, it anticipates it — releases as events, beers as bursts of color and intent.

Georgetown holds the line.
Urban Family rewrites the palette.

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GAME 2, SOUTHERN WASHINGTON REGION

Matchless Brewing, Tumwater (7) vs. E9 Brewing, Tacoma (2)

Matchless Brewing slipped through the First Round with the kind of steady confidence that doesn’t need headlines — a brewery that’s built its name on clean execution, balanced hop work, and a quiet sense that it belongs exactly where it is. No gimmicks, no overreach, just beer that lands the way it’s supposed to, again and again.

E9 Brewing arrived like it remembers how this ends — a two-time Tournament of Beer champion with Tacoma roots and a reputation that stretches well beyond the city. Whether it’s barrel-aged depth or hop-forward precision, E9 doesn’t just show range, it shows control, the kind that turns matchups into statements if you let it.

Matchless is here on feel.
E9 is here on history.

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GAME 3, NORTHERN OREGON REGION

Living Häus Beer Co., Portland (12) vs. Breakside Brewery, Portland (4)

Living Häus keeps playing the long game — a lower seed with veteran hands, co-owners Mat Sandoval and Conrad Andrus building something that feels equal parts precision lab and plant-filled sanctuary. The beers lean lager-first, clean and deliberate, while the room itself breathes — greenery everywhere, a space that feels alive in more ways than one. Call it a mini supergroup if you want; they’ve got the resumes to back it up, and yes, Conrad probably pulls down the rebound if this turns physical.

Breakside, meanwhile, walks in loaded — not just reputation, but recent hardware clanking loudly in the bag. Ten medals at the 2026 Oregon Beer Awards, including a full sweep of the Barrel-Aged Stout category — only the second time that’s ever happened. Multiple locations, deep bench, and a brewery that doesn’t just compete across styles, it dominates them when it gets rolling.

Living Häus grows the room.
Breakside fills the case.

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GAME 4, SOUTHERN OREGON REGION

Monkless Belgian Ales, Bend (10) vs. Deschutes Brewery, Bend (2)

Monkless already pulled one of the sharper surprises of the First Round, slipping past Pelican — yes, that Pelican, the Tournament of West Coast Flagships Kiwanda Cream Ale champion — with a quiet, monk-like focus that feels equal parts devotion and defiance. Their lane is clear: Belgian-inspired ales, patience over flash, beers that hum instead of shout, brewed like someone’s actually listening for something deeper in the glass.

Deschutes doesn’t hum — it resonates. One of the largest independent craft breweries in the country, the Bend institution moves volume, scale, and consistency like few others can, from Black Butte Porter to Fresh Squeezed IPA, across multiple locations and a production footprint that rarely wavers. This isn’t just a brewery. It’s infrastructure.

Monkless might need to call in every monastery from here to Belgium.
Deschutes just needs to be Deschutes.

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LINK: Tournament of Beer Headquarters

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