Skip to main content

The Manual may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

The Best Fresh Hop Beers to Drink Now

beer hops types
Anton Eine/EyeEm/Getty Images

When it comes to hop-forward beers like IPAs, the fresher the hops, the better — any good brewer can attest to that. Anybody who has savored the 3-Way IPA or Pliny knows as much. It’s why beer heads scan for canning dates and ask for the just-made stuff. In terms of the extreme seasonality, freshness, and festive atmosphere, the fresh-hop run is the beer equivalent of Beaujolais Nouveau. Taste what they’re so stoked about with these standout fresh-hop beer options with beer glasses.

Related Guides

Of course, being in close proximity to hop-heavy states like Washington, Oregon, California, and Idaho is ideal. However, there’s also solid distribution these days, along with better hop transportation and means of preservation for brewers looking to make something fresh in a different part of the country.

Ask your local bottle shop staffer or grocery store booze steward for the freshest of the fresh.

Block 15

Block 15

Block 15 out of Corvallis, Oregon, benefits from being located close to quality hops as well as some cutting-edge agricultural research from nearby Oregon State University. On top of that, they’re simply very good at what they do. 

Bale Breaker

Bale Breaker

Also near great hop land, Bale Breaker has become one of the best hop-handlers in the brew game. If you can make it to their Yakima taproom, you’ll gain access to some of the freshest beers around — not to mention intriguing one-offs via their Imagination Station program. With their own hop farm, production facility, and tasting room, Bale Breaker functions a lot like an estate winery. Be on the lookout for fresh runs of their wonderfully hoppy Field 41 Pale Ale and Leota Mae IPA.

Ex Novo

Ex Novo

Fans of danker beers will love Fresh Hop Eliot from Portland’s Ex Novo. It shows stone fruit alongside fresh grass and green tea notes — a verdant hop field in a can. The standard Eliot is a great year-round offering but tastes it side-by-side with the seasonal version to fully understand the might of the fresh hop.

Tröegs

Hop Knife Harvest IPA

Pennsylvania’s Tröegs Brewing fully embraces the annual hop harvest. Their Hop Cycle family of beers showcases the various seasons of the year-round craft. But the best is the Hop Knife Harvest IPA, brewed in late August through October. It is zesty, tropical, and as balanced as they come.

Modern Times

Ghost Mountain IPA

San Diego’s Modern Times has become a household name among West Coast hop enthusiasts. In addition to smaller-batch fresh-hop renditions available at their tap houses, the producer also cans a very fresh and very delicious Ghost Mountain IPA this time of year. Packed with Nelson, El Dorado, and Ekuanot hops, it is fruity and refreshing.

Editors' Recommendations

Mark Stock
Mark Stock is a writer from Portland, Oregon. He fell into wine during the Recession and has been fixated on the stuff since…
The surprising states that drink the most wine, beer, and liquor
Who drinks the most wine, liquor, and beer? Apparently the Northeastern states are doing something right
true crime podcast

It seems that where you live has a lot to do with what you drink and how much you drink. It also seems that, according to recent data, New Hampshire is a pretty fun place to be. Who knew?

The numbers listed below represent how much of the three categories of adult beverages — beer, wine, and spirits — people consume per capita in their state. And we have to say that the results were pretty surprising. Of course, there are factors to consider that one might not immediately think about. State liquor taxes, for example, vary from state to state, and people who live close to a border may very well cross state lines for a less expensive bottle of brew. New Hampshire's comparably tiny liquor tax probably has something to do with their eyebrow-raising presence so high on each of the three lists. But, of course, frugal, border-crossing shoppers can't possibly make that big of a difference. The only reasonable conclusion, therefore, is that the good people of New Hampshire are just doing life right.

Read more
The most beautiful bars in the U.S. (for those extra Instagram-worthy drink photos)
Some bars are so beautiful we can't help but talk them up. Here are the 10 prettiest bars in all the land
The Multnomah Whiskey Library in Portland has one of the largest selections of rare whiskeys in the nation.

With all respect to dives, haunts, and lounges, there's something to be said for a beautiful bar. The most attractive ones are feats of bar design and places we not only want to imbibe in, but ones where we stare in awe at the many comforting details. With so many great options, deciding on the most beautiful bars in America was not easy.

What separates the elites from the rest? Well, the best bars in America wow us with a combination of outstanding drinks and remarkable service. They tend to excel at those things and offer a certain ambience you just can't find anywhere else. From the architectural details of an old, perfectly maintained structure to brilliant design approaches, these places sing — visually, anyway.

Read more
Sip these American Irish-style stout beers this St. Patrick’s Day
Great Irish-style stouts don't have to come from Ireland to be delicious
best american irish style stout beers left hand nitro

This year, why not put the Guinness down and reach for an American Irish-style stout for St. Patrick’s Day?
Okay, that does sound a tad ridiculous — and honestly, you can’t go wrong with Guinness at all — but American brewers are doing a heck of a job with their Irish-style stouts. 
Irish dry stouts are an awesomely simple style, brewed with roasted barley to give off qualities of coffee and chocolate while drying out the finish. Hops add a nice bitterness to balance it all out and it's often nice and thin for excellent drinkability. Generally low in alcohol content, these beers are surprisingly low in calories, too, and can be accentuated with a thick creaminess from nitrogen.
Like other beautifully simplistic beers, these smooth stouts are so often overlooked because big flavor is generally hot in craft beer. Big, boozy barrel-aged stouts and, now, sugary sweet pastry stouts are all the rage, so it's been tough for the American Irish-style stouts to gain any traction. Plus, Guinness was once often the only stout people knew about when there were essentially two beer styles in America: lager and stout. 
Never fear, however, with St. Patrick’s Day around the corner, Americans make darn good Irish-style stouts. Here are some of the best. (If you're more of a whiskey person, check out some of the best Irish whiskey.)

Left Hand Brewery Dry Irish Stout Nitro  

Read more