Sixty-four Washington state IPAs were picked by the public for the Tournament of Beer, which kicked off yesterday with two games in the Northwest Washington region and two games in the Eastern Washington region. Brackets don refrigerators, break rooms, brewery hallways and birdcages. Birthday parties have been moved to craft beer serving restaurants. Everyone is discussing Chinook hops and apparent attenuation. It’s crazy fun.
Without further ado, let’s take a gander at yesterday’s results. The next Tournament of Beer: Washington State IPAs Round One action goes live at 9 a.m. Monday, April 10 right here on the Peaks and Pints website.
Friday, April 7, First Round Washington IPA Games Results
GAME 1, NORTHWEST WASHINGTON REGION
1. Inside Passage Ale, Boundary Bay Brewery vs. 16. Interception IPA, Cash Brewing Company
When an India Pale Ale beats another India Pale Ale by 84 percent of the votes, it’s called being “bye-hopped” in the craft beer world. No truly, look it up. Boundary Bay’s Inside Passage Ale bye-hopped Cash Brewing’s Interception IPA. No surprise, really. It’s hard to beat a brewery that’s been serving delicious craft beer since 1995 in a college town with strong social media presence. Will that stop folks from hanging out at the popular, sports-themed Cash Brewing close to Silverdale’s waterfront? Nope. Boundary Bay’s Inside Passage Ale moves into the second round.
GAME 2, NORTHWEST WASHINGTON REGION
8. Humulo Nimbus IIPA, Sound Brewery vs. 9. Tropic Haze IPA, Silver City Brewery
If you erect two, 160-barrel fermentation vessels, rebrand into cans and open new markets across state, then you’re labeled as a serious player. That’s exactly what happened at Silver City Brewery in Bremerton. The 1996-founded brewery is also serious about its new Tropic Haze IPA, which grabbed 70 percent of the votes yesterday over Sound Brewery’s Humulo Nimbus IIPA. You know you have a tropical fruit, silky-smooth winner when you’re the talk of the Tournament of Beer steno pool. Tropic Haze will face off with Boundary Bay’s Inside Passage IPA April 19. Expect skirmishes up and down the waters of Puget Sound.
GAME 3, EASTERN WASHINGTON REGION
7. The Impaler Imperial IPA, Iron Goat Brewing vs. 10. Homo Erectus Imperial IPA, Walking Man Brewing
Walking Man Brewing could have renamed itself Running Man Brewing with the huge lead it had over Iron Goat Brewing during the morning half of yesterday’s voting. But, just like goats that graze all day long, Iron Goat began eating up votes. Around 6 p.m. The Impaler was within 20 votes of Homo Erectus. Then, The Impaler lost focus. Friday night in downtown Spokane isn’t so much about voting; it’s about partying and the Impaler became stuck. Homo Erectus righted itself; gazed at its trophy case and rallied the town of Stevenson to a 61 percent of the votes win. The well-balanced imperial IPA moves into the second round.
GAME 4, EASTERN WASHINGTON REGION
2. Ruud Awakening IPA, Old Schoolhouse Brewery vs. 15. Bootjack IPA, Icicle Brewing Co.
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 second seeded Ruud Awakening IPA and the 15th seeded Bootjack IPA were in a dead heat — literally tied — going into the final hours of the competition. Back at Peaks and Pints World Headquarters, Tournament of Beer officials frantically discussed what to do in the case of a tie? Overtime? Coin flip? See which brewery could deliver a keg of their IPA to our North Tacoma lodge the fastest? In the end, Icicle Brewing’s Bootjack IPA upset Old Schoolhouse’s Ruud Awakening IPA, securing exactly 53.85 percent of the vote. This one will go down in the history books.
Let’s weed through the malt. The following are advancing to the Second Round:
Inside Passage Ale, Boundary Bay Brewery
Tropic Haze IPA, Silver City Brewery
Homo Erectus Imperial IPA, Walking Man Brewing
Bootjack IPA, Icicle Brewing Co.
Monday, April 10’s Tournament of Washington IPAs action …
Game 1: Prairie Line IPA, Pacific Brewing & Malting Co. (610 Pacific Ave., Tacoma) vs. Crazy Bitch IIPA, Northwest Brewing Company (1091 Valentine Ave. SE, Pacific)
Game 2: Little Juice IPA (Smoothie Edition), Three Magnets Brewing Co. (600 Franklin St. SE, Olympia) vs. Giant Pacific Octopus IPA, Narrows Brewing Co. (9007 S. 19th St., Tacoma)
Game 3: Space Dust, Elysian Brewing Co. (1221 E. Pike St., Seattle) vs. Citra IPA, Stoup Brewing (1108 NW 52nd St., Seattle)
Game 4: Alternative Facts IPA, Cloudburst Brewing (2116 Western Ave., Seattle) vs. Jumbo Juice, Airways Brewing Co. (8611 S. 212th St., Kent)
LINK: Tournament of Beers: Washington State IPAs explanation
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