Peaks & Pints Tournament of Beer: Best PNW Breweries April 17
Somewhere back in February, this was just a list.
Names tossed into the ring. Public nominations. A loose, hopeful idea of who belonged. Then 64 breweries took shape, got seeded, and stepped into something that immediately stopped behaving like a clean bracket and started acting like a living thing.
Now look at it.
Favorites have been pushed. A few didn’t survive. Others slipped through by a handful of votes that still feel suspiciously alive. And what’s left isn’t just “the best” — it’s the ones people are actually willing to fight for.
That’s where we are now.
Not the beginning. Not the end. The part where every vote feels a little heavier, where the bracket tightens, and where you start to realize your brewery might actually go the distance… or disappear by midnight.
Second Round rolls on.
Check the bracket. Trust your gut. Back your brewery.
Thursday, April 16, Second Round Best PNW Breweries Games Results
This is where the bracket starts revealing itself.
Not just who wins — but how they win. Authority, control, momentum… or just enough nerve to hold on when it gets tight. And last night gave us a little of everything, including one result that feels like more than just a number.
GAME 1, NORTHERN WASHINGTON REGION
Cloudburst Brewing, Seattle (4) vs. Chuckanut Brewery, Burlington (5)
Cloudburst posted an Instagram Story photo of sunshine out their Market location’s roll-up door yesterday — and it worked. With 60% of the vote, the Seattle brewery leaned into its sunny brilliance and pulled away from Chuckanut’s flawless, disciplined approach. Precision met personality, and personality didn’t blink.
GAME 2, SOUTHERN WASHINGTON REGION
Single Hill Brewing, Yakima (3) vs. Narrows Brewing, Tacoma (11)
Single Hill continues to look strong. At 68%, the Yakima crew rode hop confidence and clean execution past Narrows, never letting the underdog energy fully settle in. This wasn’t a squeaker — it was control.
GAME 3, NORTHERN OREGON REGION
Fort George Brewery, Astoria (1) vs. Ruse Brewing, Portland (9)
Fort George flexed. Plain and simple. With 72% of the vote, the top seed did exactly what top seeds are supposed to do — show up, apply pressure, and leave no real doubt. Ruse had the vibe, but Fort George had the weight.
GAME 4, SOUTHERN OREGON REGION
Sunriver Brewing, Sunriver & Bend (6) vs. Boneyard Beer, Bend (3)
Sunriver over Boneyard isn’t just a win — it’s a shift.
For years, Boneyard was the volume knob turned all the way up — loud, unapologetic, Bend’s hop-fueled chaos engine with a hearse parked out front and zero interest in subtlety. Sunriver, meanwhile, felt like the quiet getaway — a resort brewery pouring clean pints for skiers and sunburned vacationers.
And then something changed.
Sunriver started stacking medals. Dialing everything in. Expanding into Bend, not as a visitor, but as a contender. What used to feel like a side stop became a destination.
Now here we are — and that “little resort brewery” just took down one of the loudest names in Oregon beer, 52% to 48%.
Advancing:
Cloudburst Brewing (4)
Single Hill Brewing (3)
Fort George Brewery (1)
Sunriver Brewing (6)
The bracket tightens. The personalities sharpen. And now every matchup feels like it carries a little history with it.
Friday, April 17, Second Round Best PNW Breweries Games
GAME 1, NORTHERN WASHINGTON REGION
Reuben’s Brews, Seattle (7) vs. Holy Mountain, Seattle (2)
Reuben’s doesn’t sneak up on anyone — it builds. A broad, meticulous lineup, a Ballard mainstay that’s grown from homebrew roots into one of the most complete breweries in the state, stacking IPAs, lagers, and everything in between with a kind of quiet, methodical confidence. There’s depth here. There’s range. And there’s a fanbase that shows up.
Holy Mountain moves differently. Tucked into Seattle’s Interurban edges, it trades in atmosphere as much as beer — mixed culture saisons, shadowy stouts, patience, restraint, a sense that everything is happening exactly as it should, just slightly out of reach. It doesn’t chase attention. It earns devotion.
Reuben’s needs to lean on its depth and keep the pressure constant.
Holy Mountain needs to let its mystique do the heavy lifting.
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GAME 2, SOUTHERN WASHINGTON REGION
Bale Breaker Brewing, Moxee (1) vs. Sig Brewing, Tacoma (9)
Bale Breaker doesn’t guess — it grows. Set among its own hop fields in Moxee, the Smith family brewery has built a reputation on clarity, balance, and a kind of agricultural precision that shows up in every pint. Topcutter IPA still hits like a benchmark, and the whole operation hums with that rare combination of scale and soul.
Sig Brewing is newer, but it doesn’t feel uncertain. Tacoma-based, with veteran brewer Jeff Stokes — who cut his teeth at Three Magnets — guiding the ship, Sig leans into clean execution, classic styles, and a steady, no-frills confidence that’s quietly earned loyalty in a short time. No gimmicks. Just beer that knows exactly what it’s doing.
Bale Breaker needs to let its hops speak with authority.
Sig needs to keep it tight and make every vote count.
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GAME 3, NORTHERN OREGON REGION
Kings & Daughters Brewing, Hood River (6) vs. Great Notion Brewing, Portland (3)
Kings & Daughters didn’t arrive kicking down doors — they slipped in like a beautifully dressed secret. Founded in 2021 by Kyle Larsen and Kacie McMackin, the Hood River brewery carries a kind of quiet confidence shaped by miles and perspective: Full Sail, Double Mountain, Siren Craft Brew in England, Trap Door — all distilled into something more restrained, more intentional. Balance over bludgeon. Invitation over intimidation. Even their Walled Garden space feels like a soft rebellion against noise.
Great Notion is the opposite kind of gravity. Loud on purpose, dripping with haze, fruit, and dessert-adjacent decadence, it helped bend modern beer toward spectacle — and built a following that treats every release like an event. It doesn’t whisper. It arrives.
Kings & Daughters needs to stay composed and let elegance carry the room.
Great Notion needs to double the fruit, double the marshmallow, and let Chad Eaton loose.
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GAME 4, SOUTHERN OREGON REGION
Coldfire Brewing, Eugene (5) vs. Heater Allen Brewing, McMinnville (4)
Coldfire lives in that sweet spot between precision and play. Eugene-built, quietly confident, it moves from crisp lagers to hop-forward ales without losing its footing, guided by a steady hand and a sense that good beer doesn’t need theatrics — just intention. There’s a calm versatility here that sneaks up on you.
Heater Allen is something else entirely — a devotion. Founded by Rick Allen and now carried forward by Lisa Allen and Kevin Davey, it’s one of the purest lager houses in the country, rooted in German tradition, discipline, and a kind of clarity that borders on spiritual. No shortcuts. No noise. Just time, temperature, and trust.
Coldfire needs to lean into its range and keep things dynamic.
Heater Allen needs to stay patient and let precision do the work.
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LINK: Tournament of Beer Headquarters
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