Tournament of Washington IPAs: Second Round ends today — Beginning tomorrow, we’ll cut the field of 64 Washington state India Pale Ales joints to the Sweet Wort 16. Then, April 27, it’ll drop to eight. Saturday, April 29, we’ll announce the winner of the Tournament of Beers — picked by you, of course — at our bottle shop, taproom and restaurant in Tacoma’s Proctor District. On that Monday, we’ll cut the online voting at 4 p.m. and take the voting live at 5 p.m. in Peaks and Pints, handing out ballots while you drink the two final Washington state IPAs.
That’s all fine and dandy, but it’s Monday, April 24 and you don’t have time for idle chitchat. You need to vote on the last four games of the Second Round. Vote for one IPA per game. Please be a honest human. Voting for today’s IPA battles ends at 11:45 p.m.
Monday, April 24 Tournament of Washington IPAs Second Round action …
GAME 1, NORTHWEST WASHINGTON REGION
11. Cedar Dust IPA, Boundary Bay Brewery (1107 Railroad Ave., Bellingham) vs. 14. Goat Boater IPA, Rainy Daze Brewing (650 NW Bovela Lane, Poulsbo)
Boundary Bay’s Cedar Dust IPA whooped Silver City’s Whoop Pass Double IPA in the First Round. This can’t be overlooked people. You also can’t overlook it’s Bellingham Beer Week, which means more people will be thinking about Bellingham’s first brewery, Boundary Bay Brewery, which means more people will be wearing Boundary Bay T-shirts, and by the Transitive Property of Inequality, more people will be drinking Boundary Bay beer, especially the big hop character Cedar Dust IPA. Rainy Daze Brewing laughs at this math, just like it has been laughing all the way to voting bank. Its Goat Boater IPA might be a laughable name, but there’s nothing funny about beating both Diamond Knot IPA and Skookum’s Mammoth Jack. That’s impressive, and so this juicy, fruity with a touch of dank IPA. Tournament of Beer statisticians gave up trying to predict this outcome. The votes will decide, obviously.
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GAME 2, SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON REGION
12. Moving Day IPA, Wet Coast Brewing Company (6820 Kimball Dr., Gig Harbor) vs. 13. Ace IPA, Wingman Brewers (509 ½ Puyallup Ave., Tacoma)
It all makes so much more sense now. It’s all been leading to the day. The ugly holiday sweaters. The funny sunglasses. The drum rolls. The paper airplane contests. The circus ringmaster announcements. The crazy named craft beers. Translation: Alert the liquor board and soothe your panicky grandmother, because the cultural landscape is shifting today — quite quickly, quite dramatically. The Tournament of Beer will get a little sassy crazy brilliant badass when Wet Coast Brewing Company and Wingman Brewers face off on the court/comedy stage. Expect laughter. Expect Facebook. The crusty old guard will be thrown for a terrified loop. Fun loving and brewing tasty craft beer? You know it. Vote.
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GAME 3, KING COUNTY REGION
10. Hopruption Double IPA, Sumerian Brewing Co. (11510 Woodinville-Redmond Road NE, Woodinville) vs. 2. Wonderland Trail IPA, Two Beers Brewing Co. (4700 Ohio Ave. S., Seattle)
In what the Tournament of Beer officials are calling a “resinous” move, Two Beers Brewing only used the power of One Beer to propel its Wonderland Trail IPA into the Second Round. It will need all of its Two Beers energy when it faces Sumerian Brewing’s Hopruption Double IPA today. Sumerian “Power Couple” owners Mark and Holly Ihrig are stepping aside to let head brewer Tyson Schiffner use his 18 years of experience to guide the “Hop” part of the recently renamed Hopruption (formerly Eruption) and its 95 IBUs in today’s game with Two Beers’ citrus and passionfruit powerhouse Wonderland Trail. All eyes are on Two Beers’ owner Joel VandenBrink. If he arrives to work today wearing the pack he used to complete the Wonderland Trail then, well, might as well renamed the company Three Beers.
SCROLL DOWN TO VOTE…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
GAME 4, EASTERN WASHINGTON REGION
1. Topcutter IPA, Bale Breaker Brewing Company (1801 Birchfield Road, Yakima) vs. 9. Double Cutt IIPA, Backwoods Brewing Company (1162 Wind River Hwy., Carson)
Bale Breaker’s No. 1 seed Topcutter IPA easily surpassed the tasty Blewett Crikside Citra IPA. Now, Bale Breaker is sharpening the cutters for a game with Backwoods Brewing’s Double Cutt IIPA. Across the Yakima Indian Reservation, Backwoods will double down on its Double Cutt Double IPA, which is double dry-hopped. No doubt Backwoods intends to make Topcutter IPA work so hard it will see double. Vote now!
VOTE BELOW……………….…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Be sure to click the blue DONE button after selecting your favorite IPAs!
Tuesday, April 25 Tournament of Washington IPAs Sweet Wort 16 action …
Game 1: 9. Tropic Haze, Silver City Brewery (206 Katy Penman, Bremerton) vs. 4. Stackin’ Hay IPA, FarmStrong Brewing Company (110 Stewart Road, Mt. Vernon)
Game 2: 6. Prairie Line IPA, Pacific Brewing & Malting Co. (610 Pacific Ave., Tacoma) vs. 10. Shift Trade IPA, Top Rung Brewing Company (8343 Hogum Bay Lane N.E, Lacey)
Game 3: 1. Bodhizafa, Georgetown Brewing Co. (5200 Denver Ave. S., Seattle) vs. Citra IPA, Stoup Brewing (1108 NW 52nd St., Seattle)
Game 4: 3. Bottomcutter IIPA, Bale Breaker Brewing Company (1801 Birchfield Road, Yakima) vs. 15. Bootjack IPA, Icicle Brewing Company (935 Front St, Leavenworth)
LINK: Tournament of Beers: Washington State IPAs explanation
LINK: Hot Damn! Yes, I want to follow Peaks and Pints on Twitter
LINK: Explore Washington state breweries
