Fresh hop beer season is happening right now. This basically translates to Christmas for hop-forward beer lovers. For IPA enthusiasts especially, there’s hardly a better time to have a pint.
Now, people tend to forget that there’s seasonality tied to beer. Sure, thanks to modern tech and the ability to freeze, dry, and turn hops into pellets, you can make a good batch of beer any time of year. But in September, during the peak of the hop harvest, one of the most important ingredients is in its best, purest form.
Just like the grape harvest in wine, the hop harvest is greeted with excitement and joy by the brewing community. This is especially the case for West Coast breweries located a reasonable trek away from hop-growing meccas like Yakima, Washington, or the Willamette Valley.
And also like wine, the hop harvest comes with a bell curve of activity. At first, a few hop varieties and rows are picked here and there, starting to show up in pale ales and kolsch-style beers. Then, the real hustle and bustle of harvest, with farms all over the west and beyond, picking in a mad flurry during optimal ripeness. The hops are rushed off to local producers who look to take advantage of the vibrant aromatic and flavor notes fresh hops bring to the brewing table.
Fresh hops all September long
Many end up on draft, and some are even bottled and canned. Right now, we’re still on the front end of fresh hop season, but expect to see more and more options available over the next few weeks. If at all possible, get your hands on some fresh hop IPAs from top brewing outfits located near hop-growing areas.
Think Breakside Brewery in Portland or Ferment Brewing Co. in Hood River. Perhaps Cloudburst up in Seattle or the esteemed Single Hill Brewing in hop-loving Yakima. Why these areas? Because close proximity means maximum freshness.
That freshness is a coveted feature. It brings life to hop-forward beer styles like IPAs. And like most things fresh, the beers are best enjoyed right away, when they’re a massive feast for the senses. Those who do go can usually have a “drink by” date that’s not too distant. That, or the brewery will tell you when the beer is canned, so you enjoy it as close to then as possible. Unlike many wines, these beers are not meant for the cellar. They’re made for near-immediate enjoyment.
How they’re made
As writer Jeff Alworth says in his excellent The Beer Bible, fresh hop beers are relatively young. Some brewers may have been doing them long, long ago, but in the modern industrialized era, it’s a relatively new concept. In fact, it was just a little over two decades ago when American and English breweries started tinkering with hops rushed in straight from the bine.
“Fresh hop ales capture the essence of the green, living vegetable,” he writes. “Their flavors are by turns softer and wetter, more earthy and wild, than beer made using dried hops. They taste their best just days after they’re kegged, while living essence is still at its freshest.”
Part of the fresh hop beer’s cult-like following is the unpredictability at play. As Alworth points out, a lot of fresh hops are varieties that have not been as thoroughly tested — if at all — as the more common dried hops. That, and more and more hop varieties are making their way into fields and breweries every year. That means you could end up with something truly special in the glass, completely different from last year. Conversely, you could end up with a real grass-bomb as well, that delivers little more than colossal green notes.
How are they made? Just like regular beers, only with loads of hops, preferably thrown into kilns or vats just hours after being picked. The main difference is that many brewers opt for the wet hop technique, not wanting to dry out and potentially lose any of those vibrant notes in the just-picked hops. This takes a lot more hops to pull off the right bitterness, but therein lies the beauty, as these beers are all about showing off all those beautiful acids, fragrances, and flavors ranging from citrus and tropical fruit to fresh-cut grass and pine resin.
What to look for? The fresh hop phrase on tap lists. Often, the beers come in small runs, so you may not be able to get your hands on anything other than draft (but do inquire). Also, look out for different hop combinations to see what you’re palate gravitates towards.
This is the best time of year to experience the full profile that various hop varieties bring to the beer. Some brewers offer single-hop IPA options (much like a winemaker would make a 100% Pinot Noir from a single vineyard site) while others like to blend hops. There are even award-winning and intrepid cideries like Bauman’s in Oregon that treat their apple concoctions to some fresh hops.
And if NA beer is your thing, you’re in luck, as more brands are dabbling in the fresh hop craze. So buckle up, the next month-and-a-half or so is going to be mighty tasty.
