Peaks and Pints Tournament of Beer: NW Double IPAs April 3
JUSTIN JOHNSON: Yo, yo, yo! Welcome to Peaks and Pints Tournament of Beer: NW Double IPAs April 3 from the historic Proctor District in beautiful Tacoma, Washington. I’m Peaks & Pints bartender Justin Johnson. With me is Peaks’ bartender Shayne Aragon.
SHAYNE ARAGON: Whad up everybody!
JOHNSON: Sixty-four Washington and Oregon double IPAs were picked by the public for the Tournament of Beer, which kicked off yesterday with two games in the Northern Washington region and two games in the Southern Oregon region. Brackets don refrigerators, break rooms, brewery hallways and Zoom backdrops. IBU now means International Bitterness Units rather than International Biathlon Union in conversations. Grandma now knows Talus as a hop rather than the painful part of her body. It was fun, man.
ARAGON: Typically high in alcohol, the hallmark of the double IPA is full-bodied, hoppy flavor and a good deal of perceivable bitterness. And, though most descriptions of double IPAs tend to focus on hops and bitterness, it’s the malt balance that makes or breaks the beer. Not enough, and the beer becomes an astringent bitter bomb; too much, and you end up with treacle reminiscent of cough syrup.
JOHNSON: We don’t want that my friend. OK, without further ado, let’s take a gander at yesterday’s results. Remember, the next Tournament of Beer: NW Double IPAs Round One action goes live at 10 a.m. Monday, April 5, right here on the Peaks and Pints website.
Friday, April 2, First Round NW Double IPAs Games Results
GAME 1, NORTHERN WASHINGTON REGION
1. Holy Mountain Astral Projection vs. 16. Wander Googly Eyes
JOHNSON: When a double IPA beats another double IPA by 81 percent of the votes, it’s called being “bye-hopped” in the craft beer world. No truly, look it up. Holy Mountain’s Astral Projection bye-hopped Wander Brewing Googly Eyes.
ARAGON: The Tournament of Beer Bureau’s projection had the Seattle brewery winning this game. Astral Projection made it to the second round of our Tournament of Beer: Washington IPAs in 2017, losing by 40 votes to Georgetown’s Bodhizafa. Bodhi wore its Great American Beer Festival gold medal the entire day, and it worked. Astral Projection learned from that experience. Astral worked the Mosaic and Citra hops through three-fourths of the day saving the Galaxy hops for the final push.
JOHNSON: It’s rumored Holy Mountain founder and newly Tacoman Mike Murphy was seen running the Stadium Stairs at midnight probably pumped for the Second Round. Anyway, Astral Projection advances, once again, to the Second Round.
GAME 2, NORTHWEST WASHINGTON REGION
8. Black Raven Wisdom Seeker vs. 9. Fremont The Brother
ARAGON: Peaks & Pints ran out of Wisdom Seeker halfway through the day yesterday. Maybe it was in response to Black Raven’s Twitter and Instagram Tournament posts. Or, maybe it’s just a damn delicious West Coast double IPA.
JOHNSON: Fremont’s The Brother wasn’t in our cooler because the Seattle brewery shelved it last year for the more modern, fruit-forward Disco Wolf. That had to be a reason why The Brother trailed Wisdom Seeker the entire day.
ARAGON: Or, the fact that Wisdom Seeker is a damn delicious West Coast double IPA. Wisdom Seeker ended up with 58 percent of the votes and a date with Astral Projection in the Second Round.
GAME 3, SOUTHERN OREGON REGION
7. Sunriver Resin Nation vs. 10. Ninkasi Tricerahops
JOHNSON: Don’t say it, Shayne.
ARAGON: What?
JOHNSON: It was like a scene out of Jurassic Park. Ninkasi Brewing’s Tricerahops snarled and clawed its way to an early lead, no doubt feeding off Godzilla’s performance in this week’s Godzilla vs. Kong movie release.
ARAGON: Yeah, super scary. But, I was impressed how mellow Resin Nation remained. The double IPA was chill. I heard Sunriver Brewing pumped Neil Young’s “Roll Another Number (On the Road)” in the brewhouse yesterday to keep Resin calm.
JOHNSON: Well, that strategy worked. Tricerahops rain out of steam around 6, p.m. and couldn’t stop Resin Nation’s rhythm nation. When the final buzzer sounded at 11:45 p.m., the Sunriver double IPA was deep on the couch smiling with 60 percent of the votes.
ARAGON: Yeah, Tricerahops was extinct.
JOHNSON: Dude.
GAME 4, SOUTHERN OREGON REGION
2. Block 15 Sticky Hands vs. 15. Bend Brewing HopHead
ARAGON: Block 15 Sticky Hands is another veteran of Tournament of Beer action, although Everybody’s Brewing County Boy IPA knocked it out of last year’s Tournament of Beer: West Coast Flagships in the First Round. Being named best imperial IPA at the 2020 Oregon Beer Awards right before that Tournament might have made Sticky Hands too cocky.
JOHNSON: The Tournament of Beer Bureau was surprised when Sticky Hands didn’t receive enough nominations for a number one seed in this tournament. I know I was surprise.
ARAGON: It doesn’t matter as Sticky Hands handed it to Bend Brewing HopHead grabbing 66 percent of the votes and a date with Sunriver Resin Nation in the Second Round.
JOHNSON: Let’s weed through the hops. The following are advancing to the Second Round:
Holy Mountain Astral Projection
Black Raven Wisdom Seeker
Sunriver Resin Nation
Block 15 Sticky Hands
ARAGON: See everyone back here Monday morning for more Tournament of Beer: NW Double IPAs First Round action. Cheers!
Monday, April 5 Peaks and Pints Tournament of Beer: NW Double IPAs action …
Game 1: Wet Coast Two Flights Up (sixth seed) vs. Heathen Son of Malice (11th seed)
Game 2: Backwoods Double Cutt (third seed) vs. Sig Terraformation 1.5x IPA (14th seed)
Game 3: Laurelwood Megafauna (fifth seed) vs. Ex Novo Dynamic Duo (12th seed)
Game 4: pFriem Double IPA (fourth seed) vs. Ruse Interpreter (13th seed)
LINK: Tournament of Beers: NW Double IPAs explanation
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