Yesterday at Drake’s Brewing in San Leandro the 2nd annual Single Hop Festival & Washoe Tournament took place. This year, 21 breweries made an IPA using only Bravo hops, following roughly the same recipe. The recipe called for mostly 2-row malt, along with Munich and Crystal 45, though the exact malts was left to each brewery. The 21 breweries used seven different ale yeast strains and nine of them filtered the beer. Hop additions were specified in the directions, though mash and fermentation temperatures were left to each brewery.

Randomly numbered samples sit on the judge’s table ready to be tried.

While outside at the festival, the washoes tournament was under way.

Drake’s brewer Rodger Davis throwing washoes.

Steve Altimari, from Valley Brewing, with Peter Hoey, from Sacramento Brewing.

Arne Johnson, from Marin Brewing, Rich Norgrove, from Bear Republic, and Vinnie Cilurzo from Russian River Brewing.

Shaun O’Sullivan, from 21st Amendment Brewery, James Costa, now with E.J. Phair, and Vinnie from Russian River again.

Pete Slosberg, formerly the Wicked Pete (who was kind enough to help with the judging), with his son, his son’s friend and wife Amy.