Peaks & Pints 2025 Tournament of Beer: Northwest IPAs April 10

In the 18th century, British brewers faced the challenge of sending beer to India, a long and hot journey that often resulted in spoiled beer. The solution (and the myth): The story frequently presented is that George Hodgson of the Bow Brewery in London invented the IPA to solve this problem by adding extra hops and increasing alcohol, which acted as a natural preservative. The reality: While Hodgson’s brewery was near the East India Company docks and he did ship beer to India, the idea of him inventing the IPA to solve the preservation problem is a simplification and a bit of mythmaking. The story is that brewers, including Hodgson, adapted existing pale ales for the Indian market, and the resulting beer, with its high hop content and intense flavor, became known as “India Pale Ale.” The East India Company played a significant role in the shipping of beer to India, and the demand for beer among British colonists and soldiers in India certainly contributed to the development of the IPA.

This brings us to day five of the Tournament of Beers, featuring 64 Northwest-style IPAs brewed in Oregon and Washington nominated by the public and competing in the mother of all Northwest IPA brackets until the Championship Party on April 26 at Peaks & Pints in Tacoma’s Proctor District. Below is a recap of yesterday’s Northwest IPA action, followed by eight new Northwest IPAs hitting the court today.

Wednesday, April 9, First Round Northwest IPA Games results

GAME 1, NORTHERN WASHINGTON REGION

Wander Brewing Shoe Toss (#5 seed) vs. Ghostfish Brewing Kick Step IPA (#12 seed)

These two Washington breweries bounced base malts off each other all day, with Ghostfish Brewing Kick Step keeping steps away from Wander’s shoes. Rumor has it that Wander founder Chad Kuehl stood in the middle of his brewhouse and hurled shoes at the wall, yelling, “I didn’t wander the earth gathering knowledge to open this brewery for nothing!” As the clock hit 11:45 p.m., Wander’s Show Toss had 62 percent of the vote and a spot in the Second Round.

GAME 2, NORTHERN WASHINGTON REGION

Icicle Bootjack IPA (#4 seed) vs. Boundary Bay Brewery NW OG IPA (formerly Inside Passage IPA) (#13 seed)

Despite owning this game for three-fourths of the day, Icicle Brewing’s Bootjack IPA  took the boots off too early. Around 8 p.m., Boundary Bay Brewery’s NW OG IPA, formerly known as Inside Passage, and its large, devoted Bellingham fans proved too decisive in yesterday’s action, catapulting into the Second Round with 53 percent of the vote. Icicle and its flagship Bootjack IPA will survive. It seems unlikely the popular town of Leavenworth will turn into a ghost town.

GAME 3, SOUTHERN OREGON REGION

Worthy Brewing NW IPA (#6 seed) vs. Van Henion Brewing India Pale Ale (#11 seed)

Worthy Brewing has 40,000 square foot complex, several greenhouses, live chickens, full-service restaurant, a massive patio, couple of decks, a music stage, and a freakin’ legit telescope. Van Henion has Boneyard’s former production brewhouse and a small taproom with cool wallpaper … oh, and a delicious IPA. It’s no surprise that Worthy snagged 55 percent of the vote. It’s in their brewery’s name.

GAME 4, SOUTHERN OREGON REGION

Oakshire Brewing Watershed IPA (#3 seed) vs. Santiam Brewing Ecotopia IPA (#14 seed)

We feel for the English folk on this one. But something tells us they’ll survive, and they’ll do so while holding a delicious Ecotopia IPA. Unfortunately for British-centric Santiam Brewing, taking down Oakshire Brewing’s Watershed IPA was too much — and the votes told the story. Oakshire moveS on with 76 percent of the vote when all was said and done.

The following are advancing to the Second Round:

Wander Shoe Toss IPA

Boundary Bary NW OG IPA

Worthy NW IPA

Oakshire Watershed IPA

OK, wipe the foam off your upper lip and dive into today’s Tournament of Beer: Northwest IPAs First Round battles. Vote for one IPA per game on our Instagram Stories. Voting for today’s Northwest IPA battles ends at midnight.

Thursday, April 10, First Round Northwest IPA Games

GAME 1, SOUTHERN WASHINGTON REGION

Player: India Pale Ale (#1 seed)

Team: 7 Seas Brewing, Tacoma

Player Stats: You can’t talk Southern Washington IPAs without mentioning 7 Seas Brewing. Founders Mike Runion and Travis Guterson opened 7 Seas Brewing 17 years ago and, through six moves, have two impressive locations with a production brewery and taproom in Tacoma’s Historic Brewing District and a beautiful taproom along Gig Harbor’s waterfront. Formerly known as Rude Parrot, their golden-hued IPA is aggressively hopped for big juicy, tropical fruit, citrusy hop aroma yielding way to an off dry, pleasantly bitter finish.

ABV: 5.9%, Hops: Nugget, Simcoe, Citra, Cascade

Player: Buckhorn IPA (#16 seed)

Team: Camp Colvos Brewing, Tacoma

Player Stats: Matt Lawrence and Lara Feltin began brewing Camp Colvos beer in June 2018, opening their Vashon Island taproom the following January. Homebrewer Lawrence built Camp Colvos’ foundation on his “Community Supported Beer” Vashion homebrew delivery concept. He delivered brews to his members on a schedule and used his collected fees to fund a one-barrel brewing system. He already had a follow when they opened the taproom. In the summer of 2021, they opened a second location in Tacoma’s Historic Brewery District. Camp Colvos named their IPA after the Buckhorn Wilderness in the northeast portion of the Olympic National Forest. This Wilderness encompasses 44,258 acres and is the largest on the Olympic National Forest. The Pacific Northwest IPA offers citrus and pine notes.

ABV: 6.8%, Hops: NA

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GAME 2, SOUTHERN WASHINGTON REGION

Player: Logyard IPA (#8 seed)

Team: Backwoods Brewing, Carson

Player Stats: Just up the road from scenic Wind River Highway in Carson, a charming Columbia River Gorge town nestled in lumber country at the southern edge of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, the Waters family founded Backwoods Brewing in 2012 next to their Carson General Store. The brewery now operates on a 20-bbl system in its Stevenson production facility, kegging, canning, and bottling beer for the Washington, Oregon, and Idaho markets. Since July of 2018, Backwoods has operated a satellite pub in Portland’s Pearl District. Backwoods Brewing recently announced it’s opening a 19-acre resort property called Party Acres, which it’s billing as a playground for lovers of the Gorge. Logyard IPA is brewed and dry-hopped with a blend of four aroma hop varieties, resulting in a citrusy and piney flavor profile

ABV: 6.7%, Hops: Mosaic, Simcoe, Chinook, Topaz

Player: Pacific Northwest IPA (#9 seed)

Team: Talking Cedar Brewing, Ground Mound

Player Stats: The 35,000-square-foot craft brewery, taproom, restaurant, and distillery is owned by Chehalis Tribal Enterprises, the first tribal-owned distillery in the U.S. and the first distillery allowed in Native American country since 1834. After a 5-year buildout assisted by former Harmon Brewing brewer and now Talking Cedar Production Manager Bill Lundeen, Talking Cedar walks the talk with a massive outdoor patio, gorgeous sprawling restaurant space, partially open kitchen, exposed 60-barrel brew house with six 120-barrel fermentation tanks, fancy bar, several private rooms, slick merch, and all the parking. Its Pacific Northwest IPA is a bold and rugged Pacific Northwest-style IPA with dank pine and citrus notes, a medium mouthfeel, and aggressive but balanced bitterness.

ABV: 7.6%, Hops: Simcoe, Centennial, Citra, Mosaic

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GAME 3, NORTHERN OREGON REGION

Player: Volatile Substance (#6 seed)

Team: Von Ebert Brewing, Portland

Player Stats: Von Ebert was founded in 2018 by Tom M. Cook and Tom S. Cook, a father-son duo, as a rebranded Portland Pearl District location of Fat Head’s Brewery. It’s named after the family matriarch whom they lovingly refer to as “Grandma Ebert.” The quintessential immigrant story: Grandma Ebert came to America from Germany via Ellis Island and relied on her grit and determination to create a successful life for her family here in the States. In 2018, they opened a second taproom at 14021 NE Glisan St., next to the Pro Shop of Glendoveer Golf Course. Last year, they closed the Pearl District location. They moved into the former Ecliptic Brewing spot off North Mississippi Avenue, expanding production and distribution capabilities from 4,000 to 20,000 barrels annually. Von Ebert’s Volatile Substance Northwest-style IPA’s notes of smashed berries, pine resin, and a touch of citrus grabbed gold at the 2021 Great American Beer Festival, 2021 Oregon Beer Awards, and 2019 North American Beer Awards.

ABV: 6.9%, Hops: Simcoe, Mosaic

Player: Take Me To The River (#11 seed)

Team: Ferment Brewing, Hood River

Player Stats: Brewer Dan and foodie Jennifer Peterson left New York for Oregon looking for opportunities to open a brewery. They met Robert Gilham, a British entrepreneur who aligned with Dan’s interest in British ale styles. The Ferment idea took hold, with Gilham guiding the business side of the venture. In 2018, they opened the massive and gorgeous Ferment Brewing on the banks of the Columbia River in Hood River. Their Take Me To The River Northwest-style IPA offers citrus, floral, fruity, and herbal notes.

ABV: 6.8%, Hops: Citra, Idaho 7

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GAME 4, NORTHERN OREGON REGION

Player: India Pale Ale (#3 seed)

Team: pFriem Family Brewers, Hood River

Player Stats: Seattle native Josh Pfriem began homebrewing at Western Washington University in his early 20s, then moved to Utah as a ski bum. He worked at Utah Brewers Cooperative for a few years before returning to his old college town of Bellingham to brew at Chuckanut Brewery, where he helped win the Great American Beer Festival Small Brewpub of the Year in 2009. He moved to Hood River, Oregon, to work at Full Sail but left in December 2011 to open pFriem Family Brewers — across the highway from Full Sail along the banks of the Columbia River — in August 2012. They opened a secondary production and warehousing facility in Cascade Locks, Oregon, in 2020, which serves as a logistics hub and houses barrel-aged and sour beer production. pFriem opened a new tasting room in the Historic Milwaukie City Hall building a couple of days ago in Milwaukie, Oregon. The brewery prides itself on its strong family focus and community involvement, as well as its ingredients — while many craft brewery websites list the notable spices and hops used in their brews, none we’ve encountered boasts the encyclopedic cataloging of every ingredient the way pFriem does. pFriem IPA offers dank aromas of peach, citrus, papaya, and blueberry, followed by bright flavors of lychee fruit, grapefruit, and light candy maltiness. It finishes hoppy and piney, with a touch of grapefruit rind.

ABV: 6.8%, Hops: Chinook, Mosaic, Citra

Player: Oregon IPA (#14 seed)

Team: StormBreaker Brewing, Portland

Player Stats: In 2014, Rob Lutz and Dan Malech opened StormBreaker Brewing on North Mississippi Avenue in Portland’s Boise neighborhood, and a second opened in the St. Johns neighborhood in 2018. StormBreaker, besides being the brewery’s name, is a little-known nickname for Mt. Hood, the majestic 11,000-foot volcano that casts its shadow on Portland every sunrise. StormBreaker brews beer like Mt. Hood breaks storms coming off the Pacific Ocean, head-on with intensity. The brewery is proud to call Oregon its home, so they made this beer to celebrate the state. Oregon IPA is brewed with Citra, Mosaic, and Simcoe hops for tropical aromas and flavors, with pine notes.

ABV: 6.4%, Hops: Citra, Mosaic, Simcoe

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Friday, April 11 Tournament of Beer: Northwest IPAs action

Game 1: Hellbent Brewing House IPA (#7 seed) vs. Bainbridge Brewing Eagle Harbor IPA (#10 seed)

Game 2: Rainy Daze Brewing Pourhouse IPA (#2 seed) vs. Dru Bru Windy Shot (#15 seed)

Game 3: Silver Moon Brewing IPA 97 (#5 seed) vs. Cascade Lakes Brewing This IPA (#12 seed)

Game 4: Ninkasi Brewing Total Domination IPA (#4 seed) vs. Crux Fermentation Project Grade A (#13 seed)

LINK: Tournament of Beer: Northwest IPAs explained

LINK: Tournament of Beer Headquarters

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