Enrollment is now open for the National IPA Championship (NIPAC). Each year the Brewing News invites brewers from across the country to enter a competition pitting beers against beers in a tournament-style elimination taste-off. Five locations across the country host tasting events throughout February. This year the tournament makes its first stop on the West Coast when the NIPAC comes to Seattle on February 18^th (no details yet). The final round takes place in New York City on March 3^rd.

The Brewing News invites spectators to fill out brackets (once available) and follow the competition. The top brackets—the ones that most accurately predict winners—take home prizes, though we have yet to see a list of prizes. If you want to play along, get on the NIPAC brackets email list, which advises you when the “Locker Room” is open and also provides weekly updates as the competition unfolds.  (Get on the mailing list.)

The Players

Six Washington breweries signed up for the competition thus far: Silver City Brewery, Black Raven Brewing, Diamond Knot Brewing, Ice Harbor Brewing, Fremont Brewing, and Boundary Bay Brewery. Enrollment is still open. California boasts the most entrants with 12 breweries signed up already.

As of today 64 breweries are signed up , which means there is room for another 64. See the list of breweries currently enrolled.

Breweries can enter the competition online.

How It Works

The Brewing News describes NIPAC like this, “Participating IPAs from across the nation will be randomly chosen for a 1:1 single elimination bracket tournament. Winners of the first round will advance to the next. The complete IPA tournament bracket is posted on-line. The judgings will be held in several locations, including a West Coast site (new for 2012) beginning February 5, 2012…

“All judges will be brewers. They will be organized into panels of 3, and given the task of choosing the best IPA between two beers. The judges will not know what beers they are being served. The majority rules on the voting.

“A steward will serve the panel the two beers (Sample “Alpha” and Sample “Beta”). The beers will be served in clean, small cylindrical glasses. Each sample will be a 3 ounce pour. Once the preferred IPA is chosen, the panel will move to the next sample. No panel will judge more than six pairs.

“At the completion of the judging session, the names of the beers will be revealed to the panels and audience at large.”

Past Winners

In 2010 Fat Heads’ HeadHunter IPA defeated Firestone Walker’s Union Jack IPA in the final match. In 2009 Laurelwood’s Workhorse IPA took home top honors. In 2008, well, things were weird back then: a Red Ale took home the National IPA Championship trophy, defeating a Hefeweizen in the final match. Don’t expect to see any Hefeweizen in this year’s competition.

2012 Schedule

Round 1- February 5th @ Buffalo, NY

Round 2 – February 11th @ Syracuse, NY

Round 3 – February 18th @ Seattle, WA

Round 4 -February 25th @ Cleveland, OH

Final Round – March 3 @ New York, NY

The field of 128 has been whittled down to just 16 as the National IPA Championship (NIPAC) continues. Last week we reported that only two Washington breweries had survived the latest round. Today we report that both Boundary Bay Brewery and Harmon Brewing have advanced to the sweet sixteen.

Next week Boundary Bay IPA will compete against Modus Hoperandi from Ska Brewing Company. Harmon Brewing’s Commencement Bay IPA will face-off with Buckhorn Brewing’s Cleveland IPA.

When the competition kicked off, there were 19 Washington IPAs in the field. Local favorites like Black Raven’s Trickster IPA, Naked City’s Hoptrocity, and Snipes Mountain’s Zombie Killer have been cast aside. Now, only two representatives from Washington remain. Oh the humanity! How did beers like Flyer’s Afterburner IPA and Snoqualmie Falls’ Wildcat IPA ever fall? Will the madness never cease?

Is it a conspiracy to keep Washington breweries down or is it simply fate? Is it a blatant attempt to stack the deck against us or is it the luck of the draw? You be the judge.

Seven of Washington’s finest beers made it out of the first round of the National IPA Championship (NIPAC), but only three continue on after the second. To learn more about NIPAC, read our previous posts about NIPAC here or go to the official NIPAC Web site.

The first round of the championship saw four Washington IPAs compete in head-to-head match ups: Lazy Boy vs. Port Townsend and Elysian vs. Breakaway. With 128 beers in the tournament, how could these four end up pitted against each other so early in the competition? The fates seemed to be aligned against us. Now, in the third round there is another WA vs. WA duel, so only two breweries will continue after this round, at best.

All you have to do is look at the bracket to realize it is inevitable that these kinds of unfortunate match ups are just the luck of the draw, but it’s kind of fun to pretend that some evil force is at work against us. Uh, I suppose. Uh, I mean, I’m being paranoid, right?

Advancing:

Hale’s Supergoose IPA – Defeated Oakshire Brewing’s Watershed IPA in the first round and Big Bear Brewing’s Paw Print IPA in the second round. Now set to face crosstown rival Elysian Brewing’s Stolen Fire/Prometheus IPA in the third round.

Elysian Stolen Fire/Prometheus IPA - Defeated Seattle’s own Breakaway IPA in an unfortunate first round pairing. Next, defeated Ale Asylum’s Ballistic IPA in the second round. Now set to battle Hale’s Supergoose IPA.

Port Townsend Hop Diggedy IPA - In another unfortunate first round pairing, Hop Diggedy IPA defeated fellow WA entrant Lazy Boy IPA. In the second round they beat 21st Ammendment Brewing’s Brew Free or Die IPA. They now prepare to go up against Fat Head Brewery’s HeadHunter IPA.

Eliminated in Round Two:

The following lost in the second round: Pike IPA, Fremont Brewing’s Interurban IPA, Diamond Knot IPA, and Black Raven Brewing’s Trickster IPA.

Washington IPAs stand strong in the opening round

Half of Washington’s entrants into the National IPA Championship (NIPAC) have advanced to the second round. (read about NIPAC.) While seven Washington beers advance, seven go home. It’s not as bad as it sounds when you consider that two of the first round matchups featured Washington beers pitted against each other. Advancing seven beers to the second round is no small feat.

Advancing to the next round:

Supergoose IPA – Hale’s Ales
Stolen Fire/Prometheus – Elysian Brewing
Pike IPA – Pike Brewing
Diamond Knot IPA – Diamond Knot Brewing
Hop Diggedy IPA – Port Townsend Brewing
Interurban India Pale Ale – Fremont Brewing
Trickster IPA – Black Raven Brewing

Headed for the showers:

Boundary Bay IPA – Boundary Bay Brewing
Breakaway IPA – Baron Brewing (lost to Elysian)
Long Hammer – Redhook Ales
Lazy Boy IPA – Lazy Boy Brewing (lost to Port Townsend)
The Immortal IPA – Elysian Brewing
Big Red IPA – Ram
Wildcat IPA – Snoqualmie Falls Brewing

While many of the out-of-state beers involved in NIPAC are a mystery to the typical Washington beer drinker, others are not. For example, Pike IPA faces California’s Stone IPA in the second round. You can see the complete results from round one, and see the match-ups for round two, by going to the NIPAC Web site.

Each year the Brewing News put on the National IPA Championship (NIPAC) — a series of head-to-head match-ups, arranged tournament-style, to determine the nation’s “best” IPA. Click here to see our previous posts about NIPAC, including results from last year’s tournament.

This year the first round will take place on February 14th. The final round will take place on March 20th. For complete details about the match ups, and to fill out your bracket, visit the official NIPAC Web site.

Last year, Washington only had 3 horses in the race. Pike IPA and Redhook Long Hammer IPA failed to make it out of first round. After an impressive victory over Bear Republic Racer 5 IPA, Boundary Bay IPA suffered a difficult loss to Deschutes Inversion IPA in round three.

This year the field has been expanded to include 128 contestant. There are 14 entrants from the state of Washington.

Boundary Bay IPA
Black Raven Trickster IPA
Breakaway IPA
Diamond Knot IPA
Elysian Immortal IPA
Elysian Stolen Fire/Prometheus IPA
Fremont Interurban IPA
Hale’s Supergoose IPA
Lazy Boy IPA
Pike IPA
Port Townsend Hop Diggity
Ram Big Red IPA
Redhook Long Hammer IPA
Snoqualmie Falls Wildcat IPA