Tournament of Washington IPAs: Second Round April 21: Laid-back is the essence of Friday. That means an early lunch with an India Pale Ale. Then, blaze from work early to grab another IPA. Dinner with friends at Peaks and Pints and plenty more IPAs … you know the routine. The mere thought of lifting a finger to wash the mountain of dishes in the sink should make you shudder. Yesterday, a good chunk of the South Sound changed its Thursday routine. Voting in the Tournament of Beer: Washington State IPAs was added to the mix. Yesterday’s vote total nearly doubled the previous record high for most votes in a day. Don’t you people have lives?!
Here’s a look at today’s Tournament of Beer Second Round action and a recap of yesterday’s results. Enjoy your Friday and get to voting. …
Thursday, April 20, Second Round Washington IPA Games Results
GAME 1, NORTHWEST WASHINGTON REGION
5. Batch 15, Aslan Brewing Company (1330 N. Forest St., Bellingham) vs. 4. Stackin’ Hay IPA, FarmStrong Brewing Company (110 Stewart Road, Mt. Vernon)
Despite a late push from popular Aslan Brewing Company, FarmStrong Brewing Company and their large, devoted strongly farmer and veterans following proved too powerful in yesterday’s action, catapulting Stackin’ Hay IPA into the Sweet Wort 16 with 53 percent of the votes. You can’t question the FarmStrong’s following, and sometimes a following is just what it takes in the Tournament of Beer.
GAME 2, SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON REGION
6. Prairie Line IPA, Pacific Brewing & Malting Co. (610 Pacific Ave., Tacoma) vs. 3. Little Juice IPA (Smoothie Edition), Three Magnets Brewing Co. (600 Franklin St. SE, Olympia)
Pacific Brewing & Malting Co. took a little juice out of Three Magnets Brewing Co.’s Tournament of Beer dreams. In the only one-side game of the day, the more than 100-year-old Tacoma brewery grabbed 63 percent of the vote over the popular downtown Olympia brewery. Could the historical fact that President Lincoln signed legislation to create the Prairie Line stretch of railroad in Tacoma push Pacific Brewing’s Prairie Line IPA to victory? Or did Pacific Brewing’s weekly Thursday night Beer Pong Tournament take the Smoothie out of Three Magnet’s Little Juice IPA? Prairie Line IPA moves into the Sweet Wort 16 and a April 25 date with Top Rung Brewing’s Shift Trade IPA.
GAME 3, KING COUNTY REGION
1. Bodhizafa, Georgetown Brewing Co. (5200 Denver Ave. S., Seattle) vs. 9. Astral Projection Imperial IPA, Holy Mountain (1421 Elliott Ave. W., Seattle)
This game changed leads four times through yesterday’s Tournament of Beer Second Round action. In NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament history over the last 32 years, a ninth seed has won 64 of 128 games — exactly half of the time. But, ninth seeds haven’t fared well in the second round where they’ve always faced a number one seed and lost 66 of 73 games, and such was the case in the Tournament of Beer. Bodhizafa wore its Great American Beer Festival gold medal the entire day, and it worked. Down by 40 votes going into the last couple of hours the Georgetown IPA dug deep and pulled out a 56 percent of the vote victory.
GAME 4, EASTERN WASHINGTON REGION
11. Hoppy AF, Everybody’s Brewing (151 E. Jewett Blvd., White Salmon) vs. 3. Bottomcutter IIPA, Bale Breaker Brewing Company (1801 Birchfield Road, Yakima)
In a back and forth matchup pitting third seed Bottomcutter IIPA against 11th seed Hoppy AF, Bale Breaker Brewing Company was eventually able to pull ahead of the Everybody’s Brewing thanks to a late run — grabbing 60 percent of the votes. Everybody’s Brewing gambled yesterday, pushing their new Berliner Weisse “Good Ad-Weisse on Facebook instead of pumping up their competing IPA. Was that good advice? Tournament of Beer statisticians can’t say. Apparently our stat people where all at Bale Breaker drinking Bottomcutters.
Let’s pitch some yeast. The following are advancing to the Sweet Wort 16:
FarmStrong Brewing Stackin’ Hay IPA
Pacific Brewing & Malting Prairie Line IPA
Georgetown Brewing Bodhizafa
Bale Breaker Bottomcutter IIPA
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.
Friday, April 21, Second Round Washington IPA Games
GAME 1, NORTHWEST WASHINGTON REGION
7. Mammoth Jack, Skookum Brewery (17925 59th Ave. NE, Arlington) vs. 2. Pourhouse IPA, Rainy Daze Brewing (650 NW Bovela Lane, Poulsbo)
If it came down to taprooms, Skookum Brewery has one of the largest in the tournament. It’s mammoth. A half wall divides the kettles and fermenters that hold Skookum’s precious Mammoth Jack imperial IPA from the enormous amount of tables — including a couple with horse saddles as stools and several with ginormous Cribbage boards build into the tabletops — along with a large, saloon-style bar on the north end. Rainy Daze and its much smaller taproom would be the first to tell you this is not the Tournament of Taprooms, but rather delicious Washington state IPAs — and both breweries have said IPAs facing off today. Skookum’s imperial IPA with a tough of rye and massively dry hopped or Rainy Daze’s complex, four hop, five additions, citrus, earthy, caramel IPA? Let the votes decide.
SCROLL DOWN TO VOTE…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
GAME 2, SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON REGION
16. Shadow Shinobi, Loowit Brewing Company (507 Columbia St., Vancouver) vs. 9. Lights Out Double IPA, North Jetty Brewing (4200 Pacific Way, Seaview)
There are 2,238,720 pints between Loowit Brewing in downtown Vancouver and North Jetty Brewing in Seaview on the Long Beach Peninsula. A three-hour meander parallel to the Columbia River between a pint of Shadow Shinobi IPA, formerly known as Shadow Ninja, and Lights Out Double IPA, named after a power outage while brewing the double IPA. Why not take the day off and make the drive between the two Washington state breweries? Bring emotion into your vote.
SCROLL DOWN TO VOTE…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
GAME 3, KING COUNTY REGION
6. Lush IPA, Fremont Brewing (1050 N. 34th St., Seattle) vs. 3. Crikey IPA, Reuben’s Brews (5010 14th Ave. NW, Seattle)
We’ve called several match-ups epic — IPA battles that change lives. We’re ready to add another. Fremont Brewing and Reuben’s Brews are a short, 13-minute naked bicycle ride away from each other in Fremont and Ballard, respectively. It’s pointless to describe the blood, sweat and tears it took for these two Seattle breweries to reach this game. If you don’t know their stories, or worse, their IPAs, we don’t even want to know you.
SCROLL DOWN TO VOTE…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
GAME 4, EASTERN WASHINGTON REGION
5. Jet Star Imperial IPA, No-Li Brewhouse (1003 E. Trent Ave., Spokane) vs. 13. Walking Man IPA, Walking Man Brewing (240 First St., Stevenson)
Walking Man Brewing had two IPAs voted into the Tournament of Beer — both winning easily in First Round action. Then, Walking Man’s Homo Erectus imperial IPA got kicked by Icicle Brewing’s Bootjack IPA. Can the Gorge brewery walk it off and focus on their 2006 World Beer Cup gold medal winning IPA? No-Li Brewhouse’s Jet Star has 115 IBUs that says otherwise. The Spokane brewery’s imperial IPA is fueled and ready with pine and citrus hoppiness, creamy texture and a sweet finish. Let the commotion begin!
VOTE BELOW……………….…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Be sure to click the blue DONE button after selecting your favorite IPAs!
Monday, April 24 Tournament of Washington IPAs Second Round action …
Game 1: Cedar Dust IPA, Boundary Bay Brewery (1107 Railroad Ave., Bellingham) vs. Goat Boater IPA, Rainy Daze Brewing (650 NW Bovela Lane, Poulsbo)
Game 2: Moving Day IPA, Wet Coast Brewing Company (6820 Kimball Dr., Gig Harbor) vs. Ace IPA, Wingman Brewers (509 ½ Puyallup Ave., Tacoma)
Game 3: Hopruption Double IPA, Sumerian Brewing Co. (11510 Woodinville-Redmond Road NE, Woodinville) vs. Wonderland Trail IPA, Two Beers Brewing Co. (4700 Ohio Ave. S., Seattle)
Game 4: Topcutter IPA, Bale Breaker Brewing Company (1801 Birchfield Road, Yakima) vs. Double Cutt IIPA, Backwoods Brewing Company (1162 Wind River Hwy., Carson)
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
