Peaks and Pints: Reuben’s Brews Bitsier & Bobsier and Twin Falls

Reuben’s Brews Bitsier & Bobsier was nominated as a sixth seed in the Northern Washington Region of the Peaks & Pints Tournament of Beer: NW Double IPAs, which will begin April 2, 2021. The tournament bracket will be released soon. Since we’re not touring breweries to preview the tournament this year, we enjoyed the Peaks and Pints: Reuben’s Brews Bitsier & Bobsier and Twin Falls pairing.

Hops: Reuben’s Brews Bitsier & Bobsier

“Bits and Bobs” is a British idiom that means the same as “odds and ends,” which means “bits and pieces, remnants, leftovers.” A “bit” was a coin (three-penny bit) and a “bob” was a shilling or 12 pence. To Reuben’s Brews in Seattle, Bits and Bobs is a rotating season IPA in which head brewer James McDermet and crew scour their notes from the past 12 months, inventory the ingredients at the brewery, then build a new Bits and Bobs IPA. Bitsier and Bobsier is the imperial IPA version, and this year it’s hoppy and dank with floral notes, subtle peach and caramel sweet booziness.

Let’s Break It Down: 9% ABV • 50 IBU • The 2021 version is brewed with Azacca, Mosaic, Sabro, Citra, Chinook, and Columbus • In 2012, Adam and Grace Robbings opened Reuben’s Brews in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood. Apparently an award-winning homebrewing career can transfer into an award-winning professional brewing career as they the state’s most awarded craft brewery.

Hike: Twin Falls Trail

If we need to see a waterfall and quick, we’ll head east to Twin Falls near North Bend and meander along the South Fork of the Snoqualmie River, through old growth forests, and eventually opening up to the spectacular lower Twin Falls. We continued along this well-traveled trail to about the one-mile mark where we reached an unmarked spur trail heading down wooden steps to our right; this leads to a sturdy little lookout platform with a striking view of the 150-foot falls. Back on the path, we continued to the footbridge for a top view of the falls.

Let’s Break It Down: 2.6 miles roundtrip • highest point 1,000 feet • elevation gain 500 feet, rated moderate, Snoqualmie Region — North Bend

Haps: Post-hike Celebration

Back at the trailhead, we divvied up the Bitsier & Bobsier and discussed how Twin Falls received its name. During spring, the falls divide into a two-branched waterfall. The trail crowd also seems to branch by the 10s. It’s busy with all the Instagramers. We laughed that Reuben’s could have been named Oliver’s Brews if Robbings didn’t named their son Reuben. Originally from the UK, Adam turned a passionate hobby into a family-run brewery crafting nationally and internationally recognized beers in a wide variety of styles. Since opening in 2012, Reuben’s has won awards for its beers around the world including at the Great American Beer Festival and the World Beer Cup.

Highway: Getting There

Drive east on I-90 to exit 34. Turn right at the end of the exit ramp onto 468th Avenue Southeast, and proceed a little more than half a mile to Southeast 159th Street. Turn left and continue another half mile where the road dead ends in the Twin Falls parking lot.

Tournament of Beer: NW Double IPAs

OK, Covid, we’ll just take the Peaks & Pints Tournament of Beer into the woods. …

The public nominated 64 Northwest double IPAs for the Tournament of Beer: NW Double IPAs in February. Beginning April 2, through online voting on this website, Washington and Oregon double IPA drinkers will pick daily winners until the best double IPA in the Northwest is crowned April 24.

Our pre-Tournament hype will be different this year. No brewery research tour. No candid photos of bartenders pouring double IPAs for review. No hotel parties.

Instead, Peaks & Pints will preview the Tournament of Beer: NW Double IPAs by taking the 64 nominated double IPAs on hikes relatively close to where they were brewed. After all, a post-hike double IPA can quench your thirst and begin to rehydrate you, lubricate your senses and, like the act of hiking, help maintain sanity, balance and perspective. Oh, believe us when we say the hike is still paramount to the experience. If it wasn’t, we’d skip the hike and just head to the taproom. Rather, Peaks & Pints is a big believer in hanging at the trailhead with our fellow hikers, divvying up a beer and discussing the hike, or whatever subjects, as we store away our gear.

Join us. Take the nominated double IPAs on hikes. Then, look for the first round of Tournament of Beer: NW Double IPAs voting April 2 at tournamentofbeer.com or this website.