HOPS NOT HOOPS!
It's never too soon to plan for March Madness. We’re not talking hoops; we’re talking hops! And the NIPAC —the ultimate IPA tournament.
Participating beers, submitted by brewers from across the nation (and even Canada), are randomly entered in a 1:1 single elimination bracket. Winners of the first round will advance to the next. The complete tournament brackets are posted on-line. The judgings will be held in several locations.The judges will be brewers and qualified hop lovers.
Hop lovers will be able to choose their winners for each round on-line. They will log onto the web and read a brief description of your beer as well as view an image (be sure to fill out the description on the entry form, as well as send an image or logo via email). Prizes will be awarded for readers with the most correct NIPAC brackets. The top prize will be a free case of the championship beers.
Results of each round are usually be posted on-line within twenty-four hours of each round (if possible).
THESE ARE THE CHAMPIONS
IPA—NIPAC WINNERS
2008: WEST COAST IPA, Green Flash
2009: WORKHORSE IPA, Laurelwood
2010: HEAD HUNTER IPA, Fat Heads
2011: TRIPLE PLAY IPA,Lawson's Finest Liquids
2012: HEAD HUNTER IPA, Fat Heads
2013: PALLET JACK IPA, Barley Brown's
2014: PROJECT DANK, La Cumbre
2015: SCALE TIPPER, Bosque
2016: SCALE TIPPER, Bosque
2017: PROJECT DANK, La Cumbre
2018: J-BOX IPA, Tricksters
2019: PROJECT DANK, La Cumbre Brewing
IIPA—NI-IPAC WINNERS
2013: MEGAFAUNA, Laurelwood
2014: EL LUPULO LIBRE, Brew Kettle Production Works
2015: HEADWALL DOUBLE IPA, Tamarack
2016: DRUNKEN MASTER, Melvin
2017: REWARD, Good City
2018: LUPULIN RIVER, Knee Deep
2019: NEVER BETTER, Coronado
HAZY IPA—NHZ-IPAC WINNERS
2019: Trial by Wombat, Thin Man
SPECIALTY IPA—NSp-IPAC WINNERS
2017: WHITE OAK BORDERLAND IPA, 42 North
2018: CERVEZA FRESCA GUAVA IPA, El Segundo
2019:
TURMOIL, Barley Brown’s
SESSION IPA—NSe-IPAC WINNERS
2016: SUPER SESSION #2, Lawson's Finest
2017: SUNSHINE DAYDREAM IPA, Fat Heads
2018: COASTWISE, Coronado
2019: None (Competition Not Held)
CLICK FOR PREVIOUS BRACKETS/WINNERS
Hop Lovers: Make Your Predictions, You Could Win!
Visit our on-line Locker Room for full descriptions of each of the competitors: After confirming your age, you will then be able to review the beers and proceed to our on-line contest . Want to know if your favorites advance to the next level? Follow their progress on-line using the link provided in the Locker Room.
Winners are posted to the web site within 24 hours of each round.
Sign up for Beer Brackets email, and we'll notify you once the results are posted.
Brackets Contest Rules:
Only ONE bracket per person in each competition.
Multiple entries will result in that contestant being disqualified.
Winners will be determined by the total points earned from each round as well as whether they picked the eventual champion.
The Judging Process:
Judges are organized into panels of 3, and given the task of choosing the best 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 beer 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. The winners will of each round will be posted to the web site within 24 hours. Good luck!