Tournament of Beer: Second Round baby! Now it’s getting exciting. The hops are really starting to fly, and the mouthfeels are getting so thick you could cut them with a knife. OK, so that’s a horrible analogy.
Point is: This is serious.
Today, the Tournament of Beer officially kicks off its Second Round, meaning 32 Washington State IPAs remain, and the competition is as hot as ever. Who will be crowned champ Saturday, April 29? The path to IPA greatness starts today.
Here’s a look at today’s Tournament of Beer Second Round action and a recap of yesterday’s results. Take a deep whiff and get to voting. …
Tuesday, April 18, First Round Washington IPA Games Results
GAME 1, NORTHWEST WASHINGTON REGION
6. Whoop Pass IPA, Silver City vs. 11. Cedar Dust IPA, Boundary Bay Brewery
Boundary Bay Brewery might have named their IPA Cedar Dust but that doesn’t necessarily mean the craft beer enjoys leaving its opponents in the dust. The IPA out of Bellingham is not a run-and-gun player. Rather Boundary Bay will slow play their opponents, concentrating on their restaurant, then throwing a bunch of Cedar Dusts at them. They kept scrappy gritty Silver City and its popular Whoop Pass IPA within arms reach the entire game. Boundary Bay knew Silver City Brewmaster Don “Big Daddy” Spencer and his brewers could easily go on a run and take it. In perhaps the most hotly contested match of the tournament, Cedar Dust IPA, which trailed the entire game by 20 votes or so, pulled it out seconds before the buzzer, winning by seven votes. Cedar Dust IPA moves into the Second Round.
GAME 2, NORTHWEST WASHINGTON REGION
3. Sunnyland IPA, Kulshan Brewing Co. vs. 14. Goat Boater IPA, Rainy Daze Brewing
This game was a bit of a surprise. Yes, Rainy Daze Brewing was seeded well below and their tropical fruit and dank Goat Boater is exceptional, but to beat third seed Kulshan Brewing and their crisp, hoppy Sunnyland IPA by more than 200 votes was a shocker. The other Washington state IPAs need to sharpen their hops because Goat Boater IPA is the real deal.
GAME 3, EASTERN WASHINGTON REGION
1. Topcutter IPA, Bale Breaker Brewing Company vs. 16. Crikside Citra IPA, Blewett Brewing Company
Bale Breaker Brewing Company isn’t messing around. The Yakima County-based craft brewery moved their offices out into their backyard hop fields for the day in a psychological ploy against Blewett Brewing Company yesterday. If that wasn’t enough, the brewery paraded all their hop top cutter machines up and down Highway 24. That one-two punch behind their complex citrus, fruity and floral aromatic and flavored Topcutter IPA allowed Bale Breaker to maintain a lead over Blewett’s Crikside Citra IPA all day, capturing 59 percent of the votes and a slot in the Second Round.
GAME 4, EASTERN WASHINGTON REGION
8. Country Boy IPA, Everybody’s Brewing vs. 9. Double Cutt IPA, Backwoods Brewing Company
The other close battle yesterday took place along the Columbia River Gorge featuring two worth IPAs from relatively close craft breweries. Everybody’s Brewing and Backwoods Brewing battled back and forth all day, changing leads several times. It’s our guess Everybody’s Brewing’s decision to post an autograph photo of Tony Danza on Facebook might have lost a few votes. Backwoods Brewing and its hop-forward Double Cutt IIPA moves into the Second Round with a slim 53 percent of the votes.
Let’s all rub a few hop cones between our palms and breathe it in. The following are advancing to the Second Round:
Cedar Dust IPA, Boundary Bay Brewery
Goat Boater IPA, Rainy Daze Brewing
Topcutter IPA, Bale Breaker Brewing Company
Double Cutt IPA, Backwoods Brewing Company
OK, pour a pint and dive into today’s Second Round IPA battles. Vote for one IPA per game. Voting for today’s IPA battles ends at 11:45 p.m. today.
Wednesday, April 19, Second Round Washington IPA Games
GAME 1, NORTHWEST WASHINGTON REGION
1. Inside Passage IPA, Boundary Bay Brewery (1107 Railroad Ave., Bellingham) vs. 9. Tropic Haze IPA, Silver City Brewery (206 Katy Penman, Bremerton)
Both of these breweries have rabid fans and die-hard supporters, as well as worthy IPAs, so this craft beer matchup may be the most hotly contested of the competition to date. Inside Passage IPA has a solid citrus backbone, a touch of pineapple and caramel sweetness in the finish. Tropic Haze is a, well hazy IPA loaded pineapple juice, mango or orange flavors. Mobile your base, Boundary Bay and Silver City Brewery, and get out the vote!
SCROLL DOWN TO VOTE………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….……………………………
GAME 2, SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON REGION
10. Shift Trade IPA, Top Rung Brewing Co. (8343 Hogum Bay Lane NE, Lacey) vs. 15. Electron India Pale Ale, Puyallup River Brewing Co. (Puyallup, Washington)
A slew of South Sound breweries won awards at the 2015 Washington Beer Awards, including Puyallup River Brewery and Top Rung Brewing. Puyallup River Alehouse, which was owned by Puyallup River Brewing owner-head brewer Eric Akeson, hosted a celebration inviting all the award-winning South Sound breweries. Good times were had. Songs were sung. Hugs were a dime a dozen. Akeson and Top Rung owners Casey Sobol and Jason Stoltz laughed, trading sips and pledged to attend each other’s future birthday parties. Today, that happiness could all change. The two brewery owners will slip on their medals, sharpen their brewer’s paddles and face off in what will surly change the future landscape of the South Sound. Will Electron IPAs higher IBU change votes? Will Shift Change IPA’s hefty dose of Mosaic and Cascade sway opinions? Was this explanation too long?
SCROLL DOWN TO VOTE…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…………………………………
GAME 3, KING COUNTY REGION
12. Citra IPA, Stoup Brewing (1108 NW 52nd St., Seattle) vs. 4. Alternative Facts IPA, Cloudburst Brewing (2116 Western Ave., Seattle)
Stoup Brewing’s Citra IPA ousted fifth seeded Elysian Space Dust IPA in First Round action. Seattle’s Capitol Hill freaked. Loft denizens emerged into the blinding daylight in a daze not sure to whether to start drinking a few hours early or head immediately to the nearest pop-up restaurant for lettuce cups filled with millet. Down the hill by Pike Place Market, Steve Luke took a knee at his Cloudburst Brewing when he heard the news. He had a major part in Space Dust’s existence during his many years at Elysian before opening his own brewery, which easily beat Airways Jumbo Juice in the Tournament of Beer’s First Round. Will Luke and crew push their Alternative Facts facts harder against Stoup’s Citra IPA today? This could very well be Steve Raible’s lead story tonight.
SCROLL DOWN TO VOTE……………………………………………………………………………………………….………………………………………………
GAME 4, EASTERN WASHINGTON REGION
10. Homo Erectus Imperial IPA, Walking Man Brewing Co. (240 First St., Stevenson) vs. 15. Bootjack IPA, Icicle Brewing Company (935 Front St., Leavenworth)
Walking Man is the Big Walking Man on the streets of Stevenson. The longtime craft brewery advanced two IPA to the Second Round, including its Homo Erectus Imperial IPA with a blend of pine, orange rind and caramel malt along with some ruby red grapefruit and grassy bitterness. In what seems like worlds away from the Gorge brewery, Icicle Brewing sits in the faux Bavarian town of Leavenworth, brewing its delicious, hop-forward, resinous Bootjack IPA while an accordionist serenades the brewers. We don’t know where we’re going with this; maybe you should just vote now.
VOTE BELOW……………….……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..…………………………………
Be sure to click the blue DONE button after selecting your favorite IPAs!
Thursday, April 20 Tournament of Washington IPAs Second Round action …
Game 1: Batch 15, Aslan Brewing Company (1330 N. Forest St., Bellingham) vs. Stackin’ Hay IPA, FarmStrong Brewing Company (110 Stewart Road, Mt. Vernon)
Game 2: Prairie Line IPA, Pacific Brewing & Malting Co. (610 Pacific Ave., Tacoma) vs. Little Juice IPA (Smoothie Edition), Three Magnets Brewing Co. (600 Franklin St. SE, Olympia)
Game 3: Bodhizafa, Georgetown Brewing Co. (5200 Denver Ave. S., Seattle) vs. Astral Projection Imperial IPA, Holy Mountain (1421 Elliott Ave. W., Seattle)
Game 4: Hoppy AF, Everybody’s Brewing (151 E. Jewett Blvd., White Salmon) vs. Bottomcutter IIPA, Bale Breaker Brewing Company (1801 Birchfield Road, Yakima)
LINK: Tournament of Beers: Washington State IPAs explanation
LINK: Hot Damn! Yes, I want to follow Peaks and Pints on Twitter
LINK: Explore Washington state breweries
