Peaks & Pints Tournament of Beer: Best PNW Breweries April 22
And now it tightens.
Not politely. Not gradually. No gentle easing into the next round like a well-behaved lager sliding into the glass. No — this is the part where the bracket cinches like a bootlace pulled too hard, where the room gets a little louder, the opinions a little sharper, and suddenly everyone’s acting like they’ve been a lifelong devotee of whichever brewery is currently up three percent.
For more than two weeks, you’ve turned a simple question — best brewery in Washington and Oregon — into something resembling a civic ritual crossed with a neighborhood feud. Sleep has been lost. Group chats have splintered. Someone definitely refreshed Instagram at a stoplight (don’t lie).
And now we arrive here: the final day of the Tournament of Beer: Best PNW Breweries Sweet 16.
Sixteen became 12 yesterday. Today, 12 becomes eight. And from here on out, it’s no longer about who belongs — everyone left already proved that. This is about who moves, who pulls, who gathers just enough gravity to bend the vote in their direction before midnight quietly shuts the door.
Because that’s the trick, isn’t it?
You don’t need a landslide. You need a moment.
A memory of a perfect pint. A bartender who remembered your name. A beer that hit just right on a Tuesday when nothing else did. This whole thing — all of it — comes down to that small, flickering, completely irrational loyalty.
So here we go again.
Four more matchups. Eight more breweries stepping into the narrowing light. No safety net, no second chances, no “they’ll get ‘em next year” energy.
Vote on Peaks & Pints’ Instagram Stories. One vote per matchup. Winners move on.
The rest?
They drift gently into the long, glowing afterlife of “yeah, but they should’ve gone further.”
Tuesday, April 21, Second Round Games Results
GAME 1, NORTHERN WASHINGTON REGION
1. Georgetown Brewing vs. 4. Cloudburst Brewing
Georgetown moves on with 53 percent, holding off a relentless Cloudburst push that never really let up. This felt like stability versus motion — and in the end, voters leaned toward the brewery that’s been a constant in their glass for years. Cloudburst made it interesting, but Georgetown held its ground like it always does.
GAME 2, SOUTHERN WASHINGTON REGION
3. Single Hill Brewing vs. 2. E9 Brewing
Single Hill pulls the upset with 55 percent, edging out a two-time champion in one of the day’s biggest swings. E9 Brewing’s depth, history, and Tacoma backbone were all there, but Single Hill’s momentum — that quiet, steady rise — finally tipped into something louder. This one lands.
GAME 3, NORTHERN OREGON REGION
1. Fort George Brewery vs. 4. Breakside Brewery
Fort George advances with 72 percent, and while the margin tightened from earlier in the day, the result never really felt in doubt. Against one of Oregon’s most decorated breweries, Fort George leaned into presence, community, and that unmistakable sense of scale-meets-soul. When it hits, it rolls.
GAME 4, SOUTHERN OREGON REGION
6. Sunriver Brewing vs. 2. Deschutes Brewery
Sunriver wins by three votes.
Three.
In a matchup that felt like history versus ascent, Sunriver Brewing found just enough — just enough belief, just enough backing, just enough late push — to slip past one of the most foundational breweries in the region. Deschutes didn’t fade. Sunriver surged.
That’s the difference now.
Let’s weed through the malt. The following are advancing to the Elite Eight:
Georgetown Brewing
Single Hill Brewing
Fort George Brewery
Sunriver Brewing
The bracket tightens again.
And now? There’s nowhere left to hide.
Vote today on Peaks & Pints’ Instagram Stories — one vote per matchup, winners advance, and the rest drift gently into the great “how did they lose?” debate.
Wednesday, April 22, Second Round Games
GAME 1, NORTHERN WASHINGTON REGION
Stoup Brewing, Seattle Ballard (3) vs. Holy Mountain Brewing, Seattle Interbay (2)
Stoup has built this run the same way they built the brewery — not with noise, but with nerve. Clean, dialed-in beers, a deep understanding of balance, and a kind of steady, unflashy confidence that keeps winning close games. They don’t overwhelm you. They outlast you. And suddenly, they’re still here.
Holy Mountain doesn’t play the same game. It never has. This is atmosphere, intention, a slow-burning devotion to craft that feels closer to ritual than production. The beers land differently — saisons, stouts, hop work that feels considered, deliberate, almost whispered until it isn’t. And when people fall for Holy Mountain, they fall hard.
Stoup needs to keep it tight and trust the balance.
Holy Mountain needs to pull voters into its orbit and not let go.
VOTE ON PEAKS & PINTS’ INSTAGRAM STORIES >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
GAME 2, SOUTHERN WASHINGTON REGION
Bale Breaker Brewing, Moxee (1) vs. Vice Beer, Vancouver (13)
Bale Breaker stands exactly where you’d expect — top seed, still intact, still moving like a brewery that understands hops at a cellular level. Built in the middle of a fifth-generation hop farm, this is precision with dirt under its nails, IPAs that feel inevitable, clean lagers that don’t waste a motion. They don’t chase trends. They are the source material.
Vice Beer, meanwhile, rolled in from the 1990s with a grin and hasn’t looked back. Crisp, classic, no-frills beer that feels like it belongs in a Sonics-era highlight reel — efficient, confident, maybe a little swagger-heavy. And now here they are, still standing, still swinging, the underdog that doesn’t seem particularly interested in acting like one.
Bale Breaker needs to let hop authority and legacy carry the weight.
Vice needs to lean all the way into that 90s muscle and steal the moment.
VOTE ON PEAKS & PINTS’ INSTAGRAM STORIES >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
GAME 3, NORTHERN OREGON REGION
Kings & Daughters, Hood River (6) vs. pFriem Family Brewers, Hood River (2)
Hood River turns inward here — not a clash of cities, but a conversation between philosophies.
Kings & Daughters moves with quiet intention. Founded by Kyle Larsen and Kacie McMackin, it’s less about volume and more about feeling — English pub influence, balance over bravado, beer that invites rather than declares. Everything about it feels considered, human, a little softer around the edges in a way that sneaks up on you.
pFriem doesn’t sneak. It arrives fully formed. Decades of collective experience, a global lens, and a reputation built on precision that rarely wavers — from pilsners to barrel-aged beers, it’s execution at a level that’s become almost expected. Which, somehow, makes it even harder to beat.
Kings & Daughters needs to slow the room down and make it personal.
pFriem needs to do what it always does — and remind everyone how high the bar actually is.
VOTE ON PEAKS & PINTS’ INSTAGRAM STORIES >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
GAME 4, SOUTHERN OREGON REGION
Block 15 Brewing, Corvallis (1) vs. Heater Allen Brewing, McMinnville (4)
Block 15 has carried itself like a top seed from the start — not loud, not rushed, just a steady accumulation of proof. Sticky Hands still echoes through the bracket, but it’s the full range that keeps them here: hop-forward authority, Belgian nuance, a brewery that can shift gears without losing its center.
Heater Allen doesn’t shift. It refines. Lager executed with a kind of clarity that borders on philosophy. No distractions, no hedging — just crisp, disciplined beers that feel inevitable once you taste them. In a field full of noise, they’ve chosen silence and sharpened it.
Block 15 needs to lean into its range and keep the pressure varied.
Heater Allen needs to keep it pristine and let precision do the talking.
VOTE ON PEAKS & PINTS’ INSTAGRAM STORIES >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
LINK: Tournament of Beer Headquarters
LINK: Hot Damn! Yes, I want to subscribe to 6-Pack of Things To Do newsletter and be hip to local happenings!
