Peaks and Pints Tournament of Beer: Northwest Ambers April 13

*Peaks & Pints barkeep Mathrandir recaps yesterday’s action, which included a couple upsets.*

Peaks and Pints Tournament of Beer: Northwest Ambers April 13

MATHRANDIR: Well, by the beard of Gimli! It’s mid-April, and confusticate if all that “madness” isn’t still in the air! What’s one to do with all that pent up “madness?” It can make for quite a dilemma. … Unless, of course, you’ve found something like Peaks and Pints Tournament of Beer: Northwest Ambers to help get you through. Hello Middle-Northwest! I’m Peaks barkeep Mathrandir and beer enthusiasts are voting on the best amber and red ales brewed in Oregon and Washington Monday-Friday on Peaks & Pints Instagram Stories. We started with 64 amber and red colored beers, and only one can be crowned king on April 27. Without further ado, let’s take a gander at yesterday’s results.

Friday, April 12, First Round Northwest Ambers games results

GAME 1, NORTHERN WASHINGTON REGION

7. Lazy Boy Brewing Amber Ale vs. 10. Rainy Daze Brewing Test Drive Amber

MATHRANDIR: Lazy Boy Brewing had two major obstacles to overcome in this game. First, the brewery is between taprooms. After more than 16 years at his south Everett warehouse location, owner Shawn Loring is preparing to move to the Everett waterfront, which is months away from opening. Second, Rainy Daze Brewing won Peaks & Pints first Tournament of Beer — Washington state IPAs — with the Goat Boater IPA seven years ago. Rainy Daze owner Mike Montoney knows how to put his opponents in a daze, which happened all-day long yesterday as Test Drive Amber past the test with 69 percent of the vote and a slot in the Second Round.

GAME 2, NORTHERN WASHINGTON REGION

2. Skookum Brewery Up River vs. 15. Triplehorn Brewing Folkvang Irish Red

MATHRANDIR: It’s odd to call this game an upset since Triplehorn Brewing’s Folkvang Irish Red is so damn delicious with its mild peat notes and Viking motif. It is an upset, though. First, Skookum Brewery had enough nominations to seed it number two in the Southern Washington Region. Second, Skookum’s longtime, popular amber, Amber’s Hot Friend, was renamed Up River with the same recipe just a name change. Third, the city of Arlington adores Skookum Brewery and its amber ale. They would fight all five armies in the valley of Dale and the slopes of Erebor if Skookum Manager Angel bid it so. Last, Angel could take Sauron, easily. So, huge congratulations to Triplehorn and their 62 percent of the vote. All eyes will be on Folkvang, including the Eye of Sauron.

GAME 3, SOUTHERN OREGON REGION

5. Oakshire Brewing Amber Ale vs. 12. Three Creeks Brewing Firestorm Red

MATHRANDIR: Unexpectedly, this was an epic battle … the kind of thing Tournament of Beer “instant classics” are made of. A surprisingly low scoring affair, with much of the action on defense, the fifth seeded Oakshire Amber Ale and the 12th seeded Three Creeks Firestorm Red were in a dead heat — literally tied — going into the final hours of the competition. Back at Peaks & Pints World Headquarters, the Tournament of Beer Council frantically discussed what to do in the case of a tie? Overtime? Coin flip? See which brewery could deliver a keg of their amber to our North Tacoma lodge the fastest? In the end, number 12th seeded Three Creeks Firestorm Red upset number five seeded Oakshire Amber Ale, securing 52 percent of the vote. This one will go down in the history books.

GAME 4, SOUTHERN OREGON REGION

5. Rogue Ale Amber Ale vs. 13. Kobold Brewing Brimstone Red

MATHRANDIR: Kobold Brewing was born to be in our Tournament of Beer: Northwest Ambers. Our Lord of the Rings theme fits well with the Redmond-based brewery named for a mythical Germanic creature — especially the brewery’s taproom in Bend, The Lair, with its magical artifacts from the world donning the walls and ceiling. No doubt Kobold brewery summoned Kobold the creature to put a spell on the huge mammoth that is Rogue Ales, because the Hobbit that is Kobold just took down the Blue Wizards that is Rogue Ales with 65 percent of the vote.

Let’s weed through the malts. The following are advancing to the Second Round:

Rainy Daze Brewing Test Drive Amber

Triplehorn Brewing Folkvang Irish Red

Three Creeks Brewing Firestorm Red

Kobold Brewing Brimstone Red

See everyone back here early Monday morning for more Tournament of Beer: Northwest Ambers First Round action. Cheers!