Peaks & Pints 2025 Tournament of Beer: Northwest IPAs begins!

Over the next three weeks, Peaks & Pints pits 64 Northwest India Pale Ales in a head-to-head battle. We speak, of course, of the Tournament of Beer: Northwest IPAs. Sixty-four Washington and Oregon brewed Northwest IPAs were selected and seeded by the public throughout February, and now the time has come to see what IPA reigns supreme. The 64 Northwest IPAs are separated into four geographical regions: Northern Washington, Southern Washington, Northern Oregon, and Southern Oregon, with only one IPA per brewery. Only one Northwest IPA can be crowned king. The top 64 vote-getters — the cream of the hops— will compete Monday through Friday at instagram.com/stories/peaksandpints, April 4-26. Through this online voting, Northwest IPA drinkers will pick winners until the best Northwest IPA is crowned.

There are many paths to Northwest IPA greatness, but they all start with the brewer. The Northwest brewers begin her or his lives playing around pine trees, pretending orange slices are mouth guards. Soon enough, though, the brewer makes her or his way through school — some attend UC Davis or Oregon State brewing programs; others begin in different surroundings — interns or assistant brewers forced to make the fresh hop runs to Yakima at craft beer breweries. Others homebrew on garage systems, striving to win a pro-am competition. Whatever roads diverge in a green wood will help make a difference, brewing with Simcoe, Mosaic, Citra, and NZ Cascade hops.

No matter where they launch their careers, most brewers add an IPA to her or his arsenal. After all, the IPA has a 60 percent share of the craft beer market, placing it just ahead of seasonals as the country’s most popular craft beer style. But it takes a skilled brewer’s hand to turn water, grains, hops, and yeast into the mouthwatering creation that inspires people to line up outside doors. The choice of grains, the ratio of hops, and, perhaps above all, the water table set one IPA apart from another.

The Tournament of Beer nomination process was tricky this year. A few West Coast IPAs were nominated but had to be eliminated. Peaks & Pints defines Northwest IPA as a subset of the West Coast IPA; most importantly, it is brewed in the Pacific Northwest — specifically Washington and Oregon for this tournament — with more malt than West Coast IPAs but still crafted as a tribute to the region’s majestic evergreen forests. Second, the style highlights the unique hop varieties grown in the Pacific Northwest, including Cascade, Centennial, Chinook, Columbus, CTZ, Nugget, Amarillo, Mosaic, Simcoe, and Citra, to name a few. While there are many interpretations of the aroma and flavor notes, for the Tournament of Beer: Northwest IPAs, the nominated IPAs should be a clean, single IPA offering significant pine, citrus, and herbal aromas and flavors with a beautifully clear, light copper color and plenty of caramel sweetness to balance the hop flavors. Lastly, a few Northwest IPAs have had their recipes brightened toward a West Coast style — such as Georgetown Lucille and Fort George Vortex, both number one seeds — that we allowed to remain in the Tournament due to their Northwest-style history among voters.

Whatever the road taken, this is a tournament, not a playoff. Each match is do or die — one misstep, and you’re out of the dance. Add too much Crystal malt and miss your clean high-alpha bitter hop addition mark, and you can pack your brewer’s paddle and go home.

Use the bracket below to guide you through the daily matchups, or pick one up at Peaks & Pints in Tacoma’s Proctor District. The Tournament of Beer Big Board above Peaks & Pints 850-plus beer and cider cooler also follows the battles.

The C-hop-to-C-hop battle of Northwest IPAs grand champion will be announced at the Tournament of Beer Party, April 26, at Peaks & Pints, 3816 N. 26th St., in Tacoma’s Proctor District. The final two IPAs – Oregon versus Washington – will battle live, pouring from our Western red cedar tap log, with the champion brewery receiving a permanent handle at Peaks & Pints through the spring and summer of 2025.

As mentioned, only one Northwest IPA can be crowned king, so vote on Peaks & Pints’ Instagram Stories. The top 64 vote-getters — the cream of the hops — will compete Monday through Friday, April 4-26. Through online voting, IPA drinkers will pick daily winners until the best IPA in the Pacific Northwest is crowned. It’s just like March Madness, but with way more alpha acids.

Let’s do a quick liver size check and dive into today’s First Round Northwest IPA battles. Vote for one IPA per game. Voting for today’s IPA battles on our Instagram Stories follows a 24-hour voting period ending at midnight.

Friday, April 4, First Round Northwest IPA Games

GAME 1, NORTHWEST WASHINGTON REGION

Player: Lucille (#1 seed)

Team: Georgetown Brewing, Seattle

Player Stats: When those first emerald-green cylinders of Lucille IPA rolled off Georgetown Brewing’s assembly line in May 2017, it heralded a new era for the brewery that gave us Manny’s cans. It’s been a treat to drink the Lucille Northwest IPA out of the can while mowing the lawn, enjoying the hop combination of Columbus, Cascade, Simcoe, Citra, Comet for a classic Pacific Northwest style IPA with flavors and aromas of fresh pine, navel orange zest, mild strawberry, and an appropriate bitterness that will keep its Viking opponent on its, er, vigilant.

ABV: 7% Hops: Columbus, Cascade, Simcoe, Citra, Comet

Player: Poulsbo Viking IPA (#16 seed)

Team: Valholl Brewing, Poulsbo

Player Stats: This Northwest-style IPA, also known as Brew Bitch IPA in their Poulsbo taproom, was named by their brewer Justin Crawford. This light, amber colored ale has a rich malt backbone to support its pleasant, refreshingly bitter flavor and pine notes. Valhöll is the Old Norse version of Valhalla, or Odin’s Hall. It’s the home of heroes slain in battle, where they drink and await Ragnarok. Lucille needs to keep an eye on the whole Ragnarok thing.

ABV: 7% Hops: Citra, Amarillo, Cascade, Chinook

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GAME 2, NORTHWEST WASHINGTON REGION

Player: Northwest IPA (#8 seed)

Team: Machine House Brewery, Seattle

Player Stats: Machine House will “put some English on” this game. The English-style brewery veers away from the milds, bitters, and other cask ales to concentrate on their Northwest-style IPA brewed with a simple base of 2-row malt. They hopped their IPA with classic Pacific Northwest hops Citra, Amarillo, and Chinook for resiny and woody notes with a pale grape and pine finish. Will this pivot throw opponent Postdoc Brewing off their game? Northwest IPA’s somewhat tight yet creamy head exhibits considerable staying power. So, there’s that.
ABV: 6.7% Hops: Citra, Amarillo, Chinook

Player: Alpha Factor IPA (#9 seed)

Team: Postdoc Brewing, Redmond

Player Stats: Although named for a yeast mating pheromone, this Northwest IPA begins with an initial pop of citrus zest, but then it takes a weed turn on the nose. Flavor follows that dank dominance with a grassy and citrusy backside and a smooth bitter finish. What will the weed note do to Machine House’s Northwest IPA? Cannabis is illegal for recreational use in the UK, including England. Machine House might be looking to, er, score.

ABV: 6.8% Hops: Cascade, Centennial, Simcoe, Amarillo

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GAME 3, SOUTHERN OREGON REGION

Player: Tropic Pines IPA (#7 seed)

Team: Bend Brewing, Bend

Player Stats: Brewed with English base malt and Simcoe, Mosaic, Falconer’s Flight, and bittering Nugget hops, Bend Brewing’s flagship Northwest IPA hits the nose with sticky resinous pine. The flavor expands on this, with orange, grape, and a bit of green pepper. Opponent Terminal Gravity Eagle Cap IPA will feel the bitterness but won’t be overpowered by it. The dank and citrus notes and piney resin finish will pound Eagle Cap. Strong malt balance supports the beer, as Northwest IPAs do.
ABV: 6.5% Hops: Simcoe, Mosaic, Falconer’s Flight, Nugget

Player: Eagle Cap IPA (#10 seed)

Team: Terminal Gravity Brewing, Enterprise

Player Stats: In 1997, Steve Carper and Dean Duquette founded Terminal Gravity Brewing in the “Middle of Nowhere” — Enterprise, Oregon. The Duquettes built most of their equipment. Terminal Gravity was so old school and do-it-yourself that the brewers milled the grains using a large coffee grinder that took so long they had to begin a whole day before brewing to prepare enough. Of course, TG has modernized a bit since 1997; the brewery now has an 18bbl brewhouse and still puts out a respectable 6,000 barrels of beer a year. In the northeastern corner of Oregon, where Terminal Gravity calls home, the Wallowa Valley gives way to the Eagle Cap Wilderness, which inspired their flagship IPA, Eagle Cap. Packed with Citra hops, a clean yet sturdy malt backbone, and an approachable 6.1% ABV, this Northwest IPA boasts citrus, tropical orange, and grapefruit notes.

ABV: 6.1% Hops: Citra

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GAME 4, SOUTHERN OREGON REGION

Player: Descender IPA (#2 seed)

Team: GoodLife Brewing, Bend

Player Stats: Brewed with NW Pale, Briess Bonlander Munich, Weyermann Melanoidin, Crystal 60, and Weyermann Carafoam malts, plus Centennial, Chinook, Cascade, Galaxy, and Warrior hops, Descender IPA is a blend of a big, true Northwest IPA mixed with some West Coast style. Pine and creamy citrus notes dominate the nose and combine with subtle tropical and peach notes. A light-bodied mouthfeel and playful bitterness allow bright citrus flavors to shine through. A slight backend bitterness reminds you that this is a classic Northwest-style IPA. The style combo should deliver a one-two punch during its opening game.

ABV: 7% Hops: Centennial, Chinook, Cascade, Galaxy, Warrior

Player: Crooked Fate (#15 seed)

Team: Kobold Brewing, Redmond

Player Stats: According to German folklore, a Kobold is a “mischievous household spirit who usually helps with chores and gives other valuable services.” There are Kobolds called Biersals who would help in the cellars and finish any tasks you didn’t get done during the brew day. They would refrain from mischief and acts of treachery if you paid them with a daily jug of beer. GoodLife Descender might want to watch the sideline for a Biersal. Crooked Fate, their flagship, is a classic, hop-forward Northwest IPA brewed with specialty malts for biscuit and toast notes, plus five undisclosed hops adding pine and subtle tropical flavor.

ABV: 6.5% Hops: NA

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LINK: Tournament of Beer Headquarters

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