Peaks & Pints 2025 Tournament of Beer: Northwest IPAs Sweet Work 16

For over two weeks, we have asked you a compelling question: Who makes the best Northwest-style IPA in Oregon and Washington? And you have responded in multitudes. Vacation days have been used. Neighbors have started feuds. People are selling their wine cellars. Craziness!

The competition had been whittled down to the Sweet Wort 16. Yes, 16 Northwest IPAs are poised to make the final push to the Final Four, which will begin Friday.

So, read up on yesterday’s Second Round action, and then vote on the first four games of the Sweet Wort 16.

Monday, April 21 Tournament of Northwest IPAs Second Round Results …

GAME 1, NORTHERN WASHINGTON REGION

Stoup Brewing Citra IPA (#6 seed) vs. Old Schoolhouse Brewery Allgood IPA (#14 seed)

Old Schoolhouse Allgood had to take a knee for a full day after giving everything it had to beat the number three seed Old Stove Two-Pronged Crown. The next day, Old Schoolhouse Brewmaster Kyle Koger was back brewing his Allgood IPA. He must—all the North Cascades Builders Supply count on it. Allgood IPA is named after former Old Schoolhouse assistant brewer Nick Allgood, who now owns the North Cascades Builders Supply in Winthrop. Sounds exhausting. Stoup grabbed 62 percent of the vote and a slot in the Sweet Wort 16.

GAME 2, SOUTHERN WASHINGTON REGION

Top Rung Brewing Prying Irons IPA (#12 seed) vs. Odd Otter Brewing Optimus Pine IPA (#13 seed)

Top Rung and Odd Otter have been battling it since Top Rung joined the South Sound craft beer scene in April 2014. Top Rung wishes it could be a downtown brewery with a front-row seat to Tacoma’s nightlife scene. Odd Otter wishes it could be more of a neighborhood brewery with a firefighter physique. Both are successful businesses, and yesterday, they proved it as the brewery was tied multiple times with many lead changes. Then, Optimus Pine hit 53 percent of the votes around 8 p.m. and held that mark the rest of the night. Optimus Pine moves into the Sweet Wort 16.

GAME 3, NORTHERN OREGON REGION

Buoy Beer IPA (#7 seed) vs. Breakside Brewery India Pale Ale (#2 seed)

All its breweries. All its taprooms, including one across the street from Buoy. All its beers. All its medals and awards. All that didn’t help Breakside Brewery in the battle of acronym versus non-acronym. Bouy IPA beat Breakside India Pale Ale with 56 percent of the vote. Please don’t you spell it out now, Buoy. Please don’t spell it out.

GAME 4, SOUTHERN WASHINGTON REGION

Boneyard Beer RPM IPA (#1 seed) vs. Rogue Ales Pacific Northwest IPA (#9 seed)

There is just something about the Tournament of Beer. The spread of talent in this Northwest IPA tournament is insanely large, with the top-seeded IPAs often blowing away the bottom-seeded pilsners by hundreds of votes. But sometimes, things don’t always go as planned. Even when an IPA takes a considerable lead, whether the favorite or the underdog, it’s unsafe in the Tournament. Yesterday, the number one seed, Boneyard RPM, shot to a huge lead early in the morning. But this isn’t Rogue’s first IPA rodeo. It won Oregon in our 2018 Tournament of Northwest Porters, losing to shuttered Wingman Brewers. Rogue Ales produces approximately 86,000 barrels of beer annually with distribution in all 50 states and 54 countries, plus 11 brewpubs and restaurants throughout Oregon and California, including the production brewery in Newport, Oregon. They just needed a cheerleader. Boneyard RPM grabbed 57 percent of the vote and a spot in the Sweet Wort 16.

Let’s pitch some yeast. The following are advancing to the Sweet Wort 16:

Stoup Citra IPA

Odd Otter Optimus Pine IPA

Buoy IPA

Boneyard RPM IPA

All right! Let’s dive into the first four games of the Sweet Wort 16. Please vote for one IPA per game on Peaks & Pints’ Instagram Stories. Voting for today’s battles ends at midnight. We’ll announce the winners tomorrow morning around 9 a.m., but today’s games are live on Peaks & Pints’ Instagram Stories. Take a deep whiff and get to voting. …

Tuesday, April 22, Sweet Wort 16 Northwest IPAs Games

GAME 1, NORTHERN WASHINGTON REGION

Georgetown Brewing Lucille IPA (#1 seed) vs. Boundary Bay Brewery Northwest Original IPA (#13 seed)

In NCAA men’s basketball tournament history, a number 13 seed has not beaten a number 1 seed. The highest a 13 seed has ever gotten is a win over a four seed. The record for a 13 seed is 33-127 against four seeds. The lowest seed to win the NCAA Championship is eight, defeating a one seed. In the Tournament of Beer’s nine-year history, a number 13 has never won a championship. But there probably hasn’t been a March Madness college scheduled to close after the NCAA Tournament. Boundary Bay will hang it up this September. The closure will stir emotions, no doubt, and maybe enough to beat the number one brewery in the state, number 14 in the country, Georgetown Brewing. You picked a fine time to take on a Boundary Bay, Lucille.

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GAME 2, SOUTHERN WASHINGTON REGION

Wet Coast Brewing Moving Day IPA (#3 seed) vs. E9 Brewing Realize Real Lies (#2 seed)

This will be the first time Wet Coast Brewing and E9 Brewing face off in the Tournament of Beer’s nine-year history. The Narrows Bridge separates the two Pierce County breweries. Wet Coast has been delivering Prohibition-themed beers on the Gig Harbor side since 2015, and in Tacoma, E9 Brewing, founded in 1995, moved to Tacoma’s Historic Brewery District in 2019. Both breweries are popular with lively taprooms. Both breweries share the same drinkers. Remember, friendship is more important than beer. Vote now.

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GAME 3, NORTHERN OREGON REGION

Fort George Brewery Vortex IPA (#1 seed) vs. Double Mountain Brewery Hop Lava IPA (#4 seed)

It’s going to take both mountains to beat Fort George Vortex. Double Mountain knows it. They don’t have to like it. After all, Hop Lava has all the hops. Copious amounts of Northwest hops. Flavors of Grapefruit in the hop character and a light toasty malt complement the caramel. Vortex hits with juicy grapefruit character, orange citrus notes, serious hops flavor, bitter edge for a strong hoppy assertion, and enough malt sweetness to meet the style. They stand by it.

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GAME 4, SOUTHERN OREGON REGION

Oakshire Brewing Watershed IPA (#3 seed) vs. Bend Brewing Tropic Pines IPA (#7 seed)

Straight outta Bend, Bend Brewing took on Enterprise, Oregon, in the First Round, handing beloved Terminal Gravity and its Eagle Cap IPA a loss. Next, it crossed the Deschutes River, sending Bend darling Descender IPA down a slippery slope and out of the Tournament. Today, Tropic Pines IPA faces off with Eugene, Oregon, and Oakshire’s pride and joy, Watershed IPA. If Tropic Pines gets hot, we guess that Watershed will douse it. It should be a back-and-forth affair over McKenzie Pass.

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Wednesday, April 23 Tournament of Beer: Northwest IPAs Sweet Wort 16 action

Game 1: Stoup Brewing Citra IPA (#6 seed) vs. Hellbent Brewing House IPA (#7 seed)

Game 2: Camp Colvos Brewing Buckhorn IPA (#16 seed) vs. Odd Otter Brewing Optimus Pine IPA (#13 seed)

Game 3: pFriem Family Brewers IPA (#3 seed) vs. Buoy Beer IPA (#7 seed)

Game 4: Boneyard Beer RPM IPA vs. Silver Moon Brewing IPA 97 (#5 seed)

LINK: Tournament of Beer: Northwest IPAs explained

LINK: Tournament of Beer Headquarters

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