Peaks and Pints Tournament of Beer: Northwest Lagers April 12
AMBER HAMILTON: Live from Peaks & Pints it’s the Tournament of Beer: Northwest Lagers! I’m Peaks bartender Amber Hamilton. Let’s get down to lager logic. What constitutes a great pale and light lager? Who brews the best in the Pacific Northwest? Everyone seems to have his or her own favorite, and everyone’s an expert. This past March Peaks & Pints polled the public asking what are the top 64 regular lagers brewed in Washington and Oregon? They chimed in. Friday, April 8, we launched the Tournament of Beer: Northwest Lagers, pitting chosen 64 lagers against each other, similar to the NCAA Basketball Tournament, only with way more burps. People may skip our beer descriptions and witty banter and scroll to the bottom to VOTE NOW.
TRISH ORTEGA: (Burp!) Thanks Amber. I’m Peaks bartender Trish Ortega and two days ago a customer asked, “Where’s the dunkel I nominated?” While lagers cover a broad range of styles — from helles and pilsner, to dunkel, dortmunder and amber lagers — Peaks & Pints chose light and pale lagers for this year’s Tournament of Beer. We asked the public to vote based on the BJCP Style Guide Category 1A American Light Lager, 1B American Lager, 2A International Pale Lager. The breweries also had to be recognized by the Washington Beer Commission or Oregon Brewers Guild.
HAMILTON: Maybe someday Peaks & Pints will host a Tournament of Beer: Northwest Dunkels. Maybe someday monkeys will fly out of my butt, too.
ORTEGA: I’m not sure that Wayne’s World quote works here.
HAMILTON: It does, Trish! OK, let’s take a look at yesterday’s results and today’s four games
MONDAY, April 11, First Round Northwest Lagers Games Results
GAME 1, SOUTHERN WASHINGTON REGION
Wet Coast Costa Mejor Mexican Golden Lager (#6 seed) vs. Brothers Cascadia Blue Collar Lager (#11 seed)
ORTEGA: I’m sure Wet Coast sales rep Paul’s Costa Mejor posts on the socials helped their Mexican lager maintain a steady lead all day yesterday, eventually winning the game with 68 percent of the votes.
HAMILITON: Probably, but if there’s one thing we’ve learned over the years, it’s don’t mess with Gig Harbor. Gig Harbor was a bustling fishing village with lumber mills and boat-building yards before the Tacoma Narrows Bridge was built in 1950. Congrats to Wet Coast as it advances to the Second Round.
GAME 2, SOUTHERN WASHINGTON REGION
Grains of Wrath Dive Bar Lager (#3 seed) vs. Heathen Brewing Buena Mierda Mexican Lager (#14 seed)
ORTEGA: If there’s a perfect game for head-banning, beer-soaked power-metal, it’s Grains of Wrath versus Heathen Brewing. Rumor is Grains of Wrath brewers brew Dive Bar while wearing jean jackets sans shirts. Fourteen miles west in Vancouver, apparently Heathen brewers brew Buena Mierda while wearing mascaras and cranking Mexican band, The Chasm
HAMILTON: OMG, please say this is true. I’m sure many people traveled the 14 miles yesterday to drink both beers. In the end, Grains of Wrath grabbed 60 percent of the vote and a date with Wet Coast’s Costa Mejor in the Second Round.
GAME 3, NORTHERN OREGON REGION
Ruse Shifting Dreams Japanese Inspired Rice Lager (#5 seed) vs. Ancestry Japanese Lager (#12 seed)
ORTEGA: Despite a late push from Ancestry Brewing’s ancestors, Ruse Brewing and its large, devoted, Portland following proved too powerful in yesterday’s action, catapulting Shifting Dreams into the Second Round with 65 percent of the votes.
HAMILTON: In a dream, shifting happens when someone is on the verge of sleep, thinking hard about a subject. Yesterday in my dream I ate a ten-pound marshmallow, when I woke up my pillow was gone.
ORTEGA: good lord.
GAME 4, NORTHERN OREGON REGION
Baerlic Dad Beer! (#4 seed) vs. Occidental Japanese Style Lager (#13 Seed)
ORTEGA: Baerlic Brewing’s Dad Beer! beat Occidental Brewing’s Japanese Style Lager with 55 percent of the votes.
HAMILTON: Who’s your daddy, now?
ORTEGA: Let’s wade through the chilled wort. The following are advancing to the Second Round:
>>> Wet Coast Costa Mejor Mexican Golden Lager
>>> Grains of Wrath Dive Bar Lager
>>> Ruse Shifting Dreams Japanese Inspired Rice Lager
>>> Baerlic Dad Beer!
HAMILTON: It’s time for today’s lager battles. Please join in the singing of our national anthem.
ORTEGA: Thank you Annie Brobst! OK, let’s get to voting!
Tuesday, April 12, First Round Northwest Lagers Games
GAME 1, SOUTHERN WASHINGTON
Player: Ziggy Zoggy Party Beer (#7 seed)
Team: Silver City Brewery, Bremerton
Stats: 5% ABV, 23 IBU
ORTEGA: Have you heard?! Silver City’s Ziggy Zoggy is now even more of a party beer. The Bremerton brewery refreshed the recipe keeping one brewer boot in its German lager heritage and one Sketcher in a lighter-bodied, crisper, and refreshing party atmosphere.
HAMILTON: Have you heard? Silver City’s Sensory Director Enid Lints won seven medals at this year’s SheBrew Homebrew Competition 2022, including a gold for her altbier and Baltic porter, representing the West Sound Brewers homebrew club. She rocks!
Player: Love Ya Lager (#10 seed)
Team: Barrel Mountain Brewing, Battle Ground
Stats: 5% ABV, 23 IBU
ORTEGA: Brewed with Pilsner and Munich malts, and Tettnang hops, this crisp and clean lager has toasted malt notes balanced by herbal, spicy hops.
HAMILTON: Barrel Mountain Head Brewer Ryan Pierson just won another medal — this time, ironically, a gold for the Luv Ya Lager at the 2022 Washington Best of Craft Beer Awards. This lager also won gold at the 2017 Washington Beer Awards, bronze the following year at the same festival, and many more.
SCROLL DOWN TO VOTE >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
GAME 2, SOUTHERN WASHINGTON
Player: Local Logger (#2 seed)
Team: Everybody’s Brewing, White Salmon
Stats: 4.8% ABV, 28 IBU
ORTEGA: There was a time when Everybody’s Brewing co-founder Doug Ellenberger would shotgun this lager with every visitor touring his old brewhouse.
HAMILTON: That’s because it’s not too hoppy or heavy. It’s so crisp and clean plus, I mean, Saaz hops!
ORTEGA: Everybody’s head brewer Dave McGinley has been killing it since taking Adam McClure’s head position a year ago. McGinley, who has been in the beer business more than a decade, worked every position in Everybody’s brewhouse before being crowned.
Player: Little Town Lager (#15 seed)
Team: Backwoods Brewing, Carson
Stats: 3.8% ABV, 26 IBU
ORTEGA: Well here comes the little beer from a little town on the Washington side of the Columbia River Gorge. Little Town Lager is light but not too light. It’s sweet at first, then slightly bitter, followed by a lovely savory, bready aftertaste.
HAMILTON: I hear Backwoods bartender Kayla Christian left for Virginia. She’s been a Backwoods since they opened. I wonder if she’s moving to a small town in Virginia, like Onancock. Although, it doesn’t sound like my kind of place.
ORTEGA: Oh, jeez. Anyway, these two lagers are brewed minutes away from each other. Friendships might end over this one.
SCROLL DOWN TO VOTE >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
GAME 3, NORTHERN OREGON
Player: Mexican Lager (#1 seed)
Team: pFriem Family Brewers, Hood River
Stats: 4.8% ABV, 28 IB
ORTEGA: pFriem has a Farmer Matt. If he was here he’d tell you, “This lager has white foam on top of a bright light blonde body, enhanced by a wedge of lime. Aromas of light corn, orange blossom, and a hint of Mexican beach will dance around your nose. Clean flavors of balanced malt enlightened by savory notes from the Jacobson Sea Salt coats before it lifts off the tongue nicely with a finish that desires more.”
HAMILTON: If pFriem’s Farmer Matt was here we’d be drunk right now.
Player: The Wood Lager (#16 seed)
Team: Laurelwood Brewing, Portland
Stats: 4.6% ABV, 18 IBU
ORTEGA: Pilsner and 6-row malts give this lager a nice malt sweetness but it’s balanced out by the citrus and tropical hop aromas and flavor.
HAMILTON: I love Laurelwood beer. I suggest pairing their lager with Laurelwood Brewery bartender Nate Anderson’s music. You can find his music and art at Windchime Weather.
GAME 4, NORTHERN OREGON
Player: Clubhaus Lager (#8 seed)
Team: Von Ebert Brewing, Portland
Stats: 3.8% ABV, 18 IBU
ORTEGA: Clubhaus Lager has evolved into 3.8-percent American Light Lager. Laurelwood uses all North American grown ingredients in this dry, refreshing and crackery lager with just a tiny hint of American grown noble hop-like character.
HAMILTON: That’s awesome, but what’s more awesome is Von Ebert’s efforts to fight Parkinson’s disease. They were a big proponent of Pints for Parkinson’s and now the Brian Grant Foundation. They brewed Rasta Monsta Tropical Pilsner with the Rasta Monsta himself, former Portland Trail Blazer Brian Grant who two years after his retirement was diagnosed with Parkinson’s. He started the foundation to improve the lives of those with the disease, which the new pilsner benefits.
Player: Sweep The Leg (#9 seed)
Team: Level Beer, Portland
Stats: 4.6% ABV
ORTEGA: This lager is inspired by the easy-drinking rice lagers of Japan. Level brews it with Pilsner malt and flaked rice for a light body, then adds some New Zealand Motueka hops for a nice, subtle lemon-lime citrus, tropical, and coconut hop aroma.
HAMILTON: One of the cool things about Level Beer — besides their giant, family friendly beergarden and pinball machines — is that the owners allow the staff to brew their own beer with proceeds benefiting the employee’s favorite charity. Nice!
VOTE BELOW (CLICK “DONE” AFTER SELECTING YOUR FAVORITE LAGERS) >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Wednesday, April 13 Tournament of Northwest Lagers action …
Game 1: Aslan Classic (#5 seed) vs. Burke-Gilman Vitamin R (#12 seed)
Game 2: Reuben’s Southsun (#4 seed) vs. Two Beers Mexican Lager (#13 seed)
Game 3: Three Creeks Tres Arroyos Mexican Lager (#6 seed) vs. Worthy Tenmile Dry-Hopped Lager (#11 Seed)
Game 4: Oakshire Beer Hall Lager (#3 seed) vs. Gilgamesh Classic (#14 Seed
LINK: Tournament of Beers: Northwest Lagers explained
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LINK: Past Tournament of Beer competitions
