Peaks & Pints 2025 Tournament of Beer: Northwest IPAs April 9

Even though they lean on the malty side, the showcase ingredient in Northwest-style IPAs is hops, which come from the plant humulus lupulus. This is a vine-like plant that produces hop flowers known as strobiles. Two prized contributions to brewing are within these strobiles: alpha acids and hop oils. Alpha acids provide the bitterness in beer that gives the drinker the crisp, clean finish and acts to balance the sweet malt. The hop oils produce flavor and aroma, as in the Tournament of Beer. Hops typically provide flavors and aromas ranging from citrus to floral, herbal, and pine.

Welcome to day four of the Tournament of Beer, featuring 64 Northwest-style IPAs brewed in Oregon and Washington state competing in the mother of all Northwest IPA brackets. Below is a recap of yesterday’s IPA action, followed by eight new IPAs hitting the court today.

Tuesday, April 8, First Round Northwest IPA Games results

Game 1: Everybody’s Brewing Illuminated NW IPA (#7 seed) vs. Victor 23 Brewing Imitator NW IPA (#10 seed)

In a back-and-forth match-up pitting two relatively evenly matched competitors (at least in the eyes of voters), Everybody’s Brewing’s Illuminated NW IPA eked out a win, beating Victor 23 Brewing’s Imitator IPA with 52 percent of the vote. Did Everybody’s “Between Two Kegs” series play into the White Salmon brewery’s win? Can’t say for sure. The Illuminated NW IPA shines in this game and moves into the Second Round.

Game 2: E9 Brewing Realize Real Lies (#2 seed) vs. Walking Man Walking Man IPA (#15 seed)

“I’m walking here!” screams E9 Brewing Sales Director Donovan Stewart. “I’m walking here!” E9 Realize Real Lies grabbed 60 percent of the vote and walks into the Second Round.

Game 3: Fort George Brewery Vortex IPA (#1 seed) vs McMenamins 33rd State IPA (#16 seed)

Eighty-four percent of the votes. That’s Fort George Vortex IPA’s margin of victory over McMenamins 33rd State IPA. Was the whirlwind triumph inspired by the tanks that survived a tornado then brewed Vortex IPA? Most likely it was the fact that April is freakin’ Vortex Month. Whatever it was, Vortex spins into the next round.

Game 4: Level Beer Game On! IPA (#8 seed) vs. Barley Brown’s Pallet Jack IPA (#9 seed)

Level Beer had a fast start in the wee hours, collecting gold coins, and by gold coins, we mean votes. By 9 a.m., the game was tied. Barley Brown’s Pallet Jack IPA started stacking the votes. Game On! screamed Game On! And kept the eastern Oregon Northwest-style IPA within a toggle length … where Pallet Jack remained at 56 percent of the vote. Pallet Jack gets lifted and moved into the Second Round.

The following are advancing to the Second Round:

Everybody’s Illuminastrd NW IPA

E9 Brewing’s Realize Real Lies

Fort George Vortex

Barley Brown’s Pallet Jack

OK, wipe the foam off your upper lip and dive into today’s Tournament of Beer: Northwest IPAs First Round battles. Vote for one IPA per game on our Instagram Stories. Voting for today’s Northwest IPA battles ends at midnight.

Wednesday, April 9, First Round Northwest IPA Games

GAME 1, NORTHERN WASHINGTON REGION

Player: Shoe Toss (#5 seed)

Team: Wander Brewing, Bellingham

Player Stats: Colleen and Chad Kuehl wandered into each other at the University of Iowa many years ago, then wandered around the world. Then, engineer Chad wondered about craft beer, eventually attending the American Brewer’s Guild in 2011 before working at Hilliard’s Beer in Seattle. They wondered what would happen if they started Wander Brewing in Bellingham. Peaks & Pints wonders who threw the shoe. It doesn’t matter; if it inspired this Northwest rye IPA, it’s all good. Indeed. Over 50 pounds of hops go into each batch for a big citrusy treat. Adding rye adds complexity to the flavor, including a crisp spiciness on the palate.

ABV: 6.8%, Hops: Citra, Centennial, Summit, whole cone Ahtanum

Player: Kick Step IPA (#12 seed)

Team: Ghostfish Brewing, Seattle

Player Stats: Welcome to the Tournament of Beer, Ghostfish Brewing. The gluten-free brewery in Seattle’s Georgetown neighborhood debuted in the backet. In 2015, Ghostfish Brewing Company set out with a bold mission: to show the world that a 100 percent gluten-free brewery can lead the industry in flavor, quality, and innovation. Working with artisan maltsters on the cutting edge of craft, Ghostfish is one of the first breweries in the world to brew with a full spectrum of malted gluten-free grains. The sparking hardware hanging on their taproom wall proves they found success. Kick Stap IPA is a classic Northwest-style IPA, golden in color with complex hop aromas of citrus, mango, and pine. It’s sturdy, yet light bodied with a dry finish. It’s also a project beer with The Mountaineers, built on a spirit of wonder and adventure.

ABV: 5.5%, Hops: Simcoe, Bravo, Cascade

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GAME 2, NORTHERN WASHINGTON REGION

Player: Bootjack (#4 seed)

Team: Icicle Brewing, Leavenworth

Player Stats: Founded in 2010 by Pamela and Oliver Brulotte, Icicle Brewing remains a 100 percent family and employee-owned production brewery and brewpub in Leavenworth, Washington. The brewery draws water from nearby Icicle Creek, a run-off surrounded by numerous mountain ranges, including the Stuart Range and Wenatchee Mountains. Owner Oliver Brulotte has deep family roots in Washington’s hop farming history. With a focus on sustainability and community, the brewery is a 1 percent for the Planet Member. It is the first small craft brewery in the state to close the loop on its CO2 emissions with carbon capture technology. Bootjack IPA is a Northwest classic IPA inspired by the rugged and gentle terrain of the Cascade Mountains. Starting with the pristine waters of Icicle Creek, Icicle adds the intense flavors and aromas of locally grown Yakima hops, pairing the citrusy floral hop notes with a sweet-malty undertone, biscuit malt notes, and a resinous linger. This isn’t a pine bomb; you get smooth citrus, lots of fruit, and a hop bitterness that builds slowly, coming to prominence late in the finish.

ABV: 6.5%, Hops: NA

Player: Inside Passage IPA (#13 seed)

Team: Boundary Bay Brewery, Bellingham

Player Stats: Ed Bennett, a University of Washington alum, earned his Master’s degree in winemaking from UC Davis before landing in another small college town, Bellingham, to begin exploring his new love, beer. In 1994, he signed the lease for the Thomas Burns building at 1107 Railroad Ave. to start building the Boundary Bay Brewery. The popular Bellingham institution will be permanently closing its doors this September, after 30 years of operation, with a final celebration planned for September 20. Inside Passage is now called Northwest Original IPA, which makes sense since Boundary Bay was one of the first craft breweries in the state. With a big malt backbone, juicy Amarillo hops, and assertive bitterness, we’ll miss this true classic when Boundary Bay closes this fall.

ABV: 7.5%, Hops: Amarillo

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GAME 3, SOUTHERN OREGON REGION

Player: NW IPA (#6 seed)

Team: Worthy Brewery, Bend

Player Stats: Worthy Brewing, founded in 2012 by Roger Worthington, is a Bend industry leader in green practices, including Central Oregon sourcing of hops and restaurant ingredients, the use of alternative energy (thanks to more than 160 solar panels, waste repurposing, and environmentally-friendly packaging. The Worthy complex includes a Garden Club nonprofit with a greenhouse and hop yard and the Hopservatory, which raises science literacy through tours, lectures, night sky, and solar viewings. Worthy also partners with several local nonprofits, including Oregon Natural Desert Association, The Environmental Center, Tour des Chutes, Deschutes Public Library Foundation, Commute Options, The High Desert Museum, and the High Desert Food and Farm Alliance. Of course, Worthy brews a Northwest-style IPA that celebrates Oregon hops for hints of citrus, tropical, and pine flavors.

ABV: 6.9%, Hops: Cascade, El Dorado, Galena, Willamette, Amarillo

Player: India Pale Ale (#11 seed)

Team: Van Henion Brewing, Bend

Player Stats: Van Henion Brewing Co. was founded by three former brewers from Boneyard Beer Co., Mark and Dana Henion and John Van Duzer. After the sale of Boneyard to Deschutes Brewery in March 2021, Boneyard’s brewing operations migrated to Deschutes, leaving its production brewery on Plateau Drive empty. The Henions and Van Duzer were able to purchase the facility, effectively a turn-key brewery, and hit the ground running. Van Henion IPA Northwest style IPA utilizes a blend of Cascade, Centennial, Citra, and Lotus hops for a balanced, yet hoppy, flavor profile.

ABV: 7.2%, Hops: Cascade, Centennial, Citra, Lotus

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GAME 4, SOUTHERN OREGON REGION

Player: Watershed IPA (#3 seed)

Team: Oakshire Brewing, Eugene

Player Stats: In 2006, Jeff and Chris Althouse were the only employees at their newly founded Willamette Brewery in Eugene, Oregon. The Althouses brewed 300 barrels that year, far short of what they’d eventually brew after 2008 when they converted Willamette Brewery into Oakshire Brewing. The name Oakshire embodies the strength of an oak and the connection between people and place that is a shire, an old name for a rural county. Oakshire operates a small, 4,000 square-foot production brewery in Northwest Eugene, the Oakshire Public House in Eugene’s Whiteaker neighborhood, and the Oakshire Beer Hall in the Concordia/Cully neighborhood in Northeast Portland. Their Watershed IPA offers hop aroma and the flavor of fresh grapefruit and resinous pine, striking a balance between bitter and sweet and finishing crisp and clean.

ABV: 6.7%, Hops: Nugget, Chinook, Amarillo, Simcoe

Player: Ecotopia IPA (#14 seed)

Team: Santiam Brewing, Salem

Player Stats: Established in 2012, Santiam Brewing Company was started by nine friends who met weekly at “choir practice” to appreciate craft beer from Oregon and around the world. Several of these friends were home brewers with years of homebrewing experience between them. Santiam Brewing was created with the inspiration of the British community public house, or “pub,” where friends and acquaintances congregate and share their community spirit over a proper pint of real ale, housemade cider, wee dram of Scotch, or Ecotopia Northwest-style IPA while enjoying classic British pub food.

ABV: 6%, Hops: CTZ, Cascade, Citra

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LINK: Tournament of Beer: Northwest IPAs explained

LINK: Tournament of Beer Headquarters

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