The Best Golf Beer in the Pacific Northwest

There are plenty of reasons we're grateful to call the Pacific Northwest home.

The golf is exceptional. Summer evenings seem to last forever. Mountains, evergreen forests and saltwater are never far away, and the landscapes have a way of slowing you down. It's a place that shapes how we live, the way we design, and the experiences we hope every piece of RADMOR becomes part of.

Then there's the beer.

If Scotland gave the world golf, there's a strong argument that the Pacific Northwest perfected the post-round pint.

This corner of the country produces some of the finest beer anywhere, thanks to generations of independent breweries, world-class hop farms in Yakima Valley, and a culture that has always valued craftsmanship over shortcuts. Long before hazy IPAs became fashionable, brewers here were quietly refining what would become one of America's signature beer styles.

Like golf, great beer is meant to be shared.

Some of our favorite conversations have happened after the round, scorecards folded into a back pocket, clubs still leaning against the car, replaying the birdies, the doubles and the shots we'd happily take back. The beer simply gives everyone an excuse to stay a little longer.

When we decided to put together our own Pacific Northwest beer guide, there was only one person we wanted to call.

John Moscrip has spent his career around exceptional food and great beer as part of the family behind Duke's Seafood, a Seattle institution since 1976. He's also a terrific golfer, a longtime friend of RADMOR and one of those rare people whose recommendations almost never miss.

"These days I find myself drinking more pilsners and lagers, but I'll always appreciate a great IPA, especially as summer gives way to football season. The Pacific Northwest still produces some of the best IPAs in the world."

John Moscrip, Duke's Seafood

So we invited John, RADMOR's own Scott Taylor and a few friends, gathered a lineup of Northwest favorites, and spent an afternoon doing what golfers do best after 18 holes.

Talking. Laughing. And, of course, sampling a few exceptional beers.

One important disclaimer before we go any further: we're based in Seattle, so our access, loyalties and drinking habits naturally skew toward breweries here in Washington. Oregon, British Columbia and the rest of the Pacific Northwest have extraordinary beer cultures of their own, and there are undoubtedly plenty of worthy beers missing from this list.

Consider this less a definitive ranking of the Pacific Northwest and more a collection of the beers we know, love and find ourselves ordering again and again.

The RADMOR Pacific Northwest IPA Guide

Presented alphabetically, because ranking beer is almost as dangerous as ranking golf courses.

• Bodhizafa IPA – Georgetown Brewing (Seattle, WA)
• Crikey IPA – Reuben's Brews (Seattle, WA)
• Dawn Patrol IPA – Aslan Brewing (Bellingham, WA)
• Lush IPA – Fremont Brewing (Seattle, WA)
• Topcutter IPA – Bale Breaker Brewing (Yakima, WA)
• Trickster IPA – Black Raven Brewing (Redmond, WA)
• Vortex IPA – Fort George Brewery (Astoria, OR)

New Favorites Worth Finding

• Cloudburst Brewing – Seattle, WA
• Structures Brewing – Bellingham, WA
• Stoup Brewing – Seattle, WA
• Fast Fashion Beer – Seattle, WA
• PFrem – Hood River, OR
• Silver City Brewery – Bremerton, WA

Best Overall

Lush IPA
Fremont Brewing

Balanced, aromatic and remarkably drinkable. If someone asked us to hand them one Pacific Northwest IPA that captures the region, this might be it.

Best Beer at the Turn

Topcutter IPA
Bale Breaker Brewing

Clean, bright and refreshing. The kind of beer that tastes even better with nine holes still to play.

Best Everyday IPA

Bodhizafa IPA
Georgetown Brewing

Few beers have achieved the consistency and reputation of Bodhi. It remains one of the benchmarks for Northwest IPA.

Most Unique

Superfuzz Blood Orange Pale Ale
Elysian Brewing

Not a traditional IPA, but still one of the most distinctive Northwest beers you'll find. They're also right downstairs from our office.

If We Could Only Choose One

Manny's Pale Ale
Georgetown Brewing

Technically not part of the tasting, but no Pacific Northwest beer conversation feels complete without it. An absolute classic.

Scott's Pick

Starburst IPA
Ecliptic Brewing

Still one of Scott's favorites for its balance, citrus character and easy drinkability.

Bob's Pick

Bodhizafa IPA
Georgetown Brewing

Sometimes the classics become classics for a reason.

Beyond the Beer

The best part of golf is rarely the golf itself.

It's the stories that follow.

The round continues over lunch, on the patio, around a fire pit, or with a cold pint while everyone remembers the one shot they'll still be talking about next week.

That's what this list is really celebrating.

Not just great breweries or exceptional IPAs, but the friendships they help foster after a day spent outside.

If you find yourself golfing anywhere in the Pacific Northwest, make time for both.

Play somewhere memorable.

Order something local.

Stay for one more beer.

You'll be glad you did.