Tournament of Beer: Best PNW Breweries Opening Day results
Sixty-four Washington- and Oregon-brewed breweries — not beers, not styles, but full-on living, breathing beer ecosystems — were tapped by the people for this year’s Tournament of Beer, which kicked off yesterday with two games in the Northern Washington region and two in the Southern Oregon region. Brackets are already pinned to refrigerators, whispered about in taprooms, debated over pints that suddenly feel more important than they did 24 hours ago. Loyalties have been declared. Group chats have been activated. Ballard has entered the chat and refuses to leave.
Without further ado, let’s wander through the beautiful chaos of Opening Day.
The next Tournament of Beer: Best PNW Breweries First Round action goes live at 12:01 a.m. Monday on Peaks & Pints’ Instagram Stories.
Friday, April 3, First Round Best PNW Breweries Games Results
GAME 1, NORTHERN WASHINGTON REGION
1. Georgetown Brewing vs. 16. Stemma Brewing
When a brewery becomes part of the daily rhythm of a city — when its beer flows through bars, ballparks, and rainy afternoons like it’s always been there — it’s going to be a tough out. Georgetown Brewing proved exactly that, pulling away with authority and reminding everyone why it wears the top seed, earning 68 percent of the vote. Stemma, the younger, sharper-edged Bellingham operation, showed composure and promise, but Opening Day belonged to the old guard. Georgetown moves on, steady as ever.
GAME 2, NORTHERN WASHINGTON REGION
8. Lucky Envelope Brewing vs. 9. Urban Family Brewing
This one never sat still.
Back and forth all afternoon, a proper Ballard neighborhood duel — the kind where every vote feels like it came with a side of commentary, persuasion, maybe a little light campaigning inside each other’s breweries. Lucky Envelope surged. Urban Family answered. The numbers tightened, flipped, tightened again. In the end, Urban Family slipped through with 52 percent of the vote, the kind of narrow victory that leaves fingerprints all over the bracket and just enough tension to linger into the next round. Lucky Envelope exits with a crowd still talking.
GAME 3, SOUTHERN OREGON REGION
7. Pelican Brewing vs. 10. Monkless Belgian Ales
Coast versus cloister.
Pelican arrived with ocean air, hardware, and history. Monkless countered with quiet devotion and Belgian precision. When the votes settled, Monkless edged through with 51 percent of the vote, one of the day’s tightest finishes — a reminder that focus, patience, and a little bit of monastic calm can go a long way in a tournament built on passion. Pelican’s waves recede. Monkless advances.
GAME 4, SOUTHERN OREGON REGION
2. Deschutes Brewery vs. 15. The Ale Apothecary
There are moments when scale and experience simply take over — when a brewery that helped build the stage steps forward and controls the room. Deschutes did exactly that, pulling away with a confident win, earning 61 percent of the vote and moving on without much wobble. The Ale Apothecary, as always, remains its own wild, beautiful forest path — a reminder that not every brewery is trying to win a bracket. Some are chasing something older.
Let’s check the tap log moving forward. Advancing to the Second Round:
Georgetown Brewing
Urban Family Brewing
Monkless Belgian Ales
Deschutes Brewery
One day in, and already the tournament is doing what it does best.
The heavyweights look comfortable.
The margins are thin.
And somewhere in Ballard, people are still arguing about it.
Let’s do it again Monday.
LINK: Tournament of Beer Headquarters
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