Fresh hop beers are brewed with the freshest hops brewers can get their hands on, and they’re only available during late summer when hops ripen and are first ready for harvesting. The resulting brew is a hop-loaded delight with flavors that you can only get once a year.
Fresh hop season is one of my favorite times of year for beer, since brewers have the chance to make their most popular beers with the best hops available. It’s crazy how much the freshness of one beer ingredient can completely change the flavor of a brew. So, let’s explore fresh hop beers and what makes them so special.
What Are Fresh Hops?
Fresh hops are hops that are harvested and delivered to the brewer in less than 24 hours. Typically, harvesters reap hop cones from the vines, process them, and prepare them for shipping. To give the hops longevity, brewers dry the hops and form them into pellets, which are then stored in a freezer. While this process helps keep hops fresher for longer, we lose a lot of the natural hop flavor along the way.
When hop growers take brand-new hops fresh off the vine and then immediately ship them for brewing, we essentially get the “freshest” hop flavor.
Related: Mosaic Hops, Citra Hops, and Simcoe Hops
Fresh Hop vs Wet Hop vs Dry Hop: What’s the Difference?
Brewery frequenters might notice that some breweries have fresh hops while others have wet hops or dry hops. Here’s a breakdown of what those terms mean.
Fresh hops are hops that are as fresh from the vine as possible, harvested when hops mature during fresh hop season.
Wet hops are the exact same thing as fresh hops, just with another name. The only reason brewers use the term wet hop is that the hop hasn’t been dried out in preparation for a longer life.
Dry hopping is a technique used in brewing where hops are added after the boil to introduce more hop flavor. Dry hops aren’t a type of hop, so a dry-hopped beer could feasibly use fresh hops (though this is not recommended).
Some brewers also use the term “green hop” interchangeably with fresh hop and wet hop, so that’s another term to look out for during the season.
What Do Fresh Hop Beers Taste Like?
Fresh hop beers should taste pretty similar to the original brew, but with a much stronger hop presence.
One combination of flavor you’ll get with fresh hops and not other hops is a green, earthy flavor. The literal freshness of the plant comes through in the final brew, which also adds to the heaviness of the beer.
Fresh hops can also accentuate the regular flavors you’d get from a hop. For example, a fresh-hopped beer with Citra might have stronger citrus and juicy flavors than a more traditional single-hopped Citra ale.
I will say that not all fresh hop flavor is an improvement. Anecdotally, I’ve had a fresh hop Italian Pilsner which was so vegetal and hoppy that it made me sick. Aside from that beer, I’ve always experienced great fresh hop flavors in pale ales and IPAs.
When Is Fresh Hop Season?
Fresh hop season begins when hop vines ripen, so there’s no set date every year. However, hop vines tend to start ripening in mid to late August, with fresh hop season ending in late September.
But fresh hop beers can last on taps for much longer, since they take time to brew and sometimes even longer to sell. So, you should be able to find fresh hop beers going into October.
Where Do You Find Fresh Hop Beers?
The closer you are to hop vines, the easier it is to find fresh hop beers.
If you’re looking for a full-on fresh hop experience, consider visiting the Pacific Northwest. Over 90% of craft beer hops are grown in Central Washington, with major breweries in Washington and Oregon becoming the primary beneficiaries of the fresh hop season.
Regarldess of where you live, your best bet for finding a fresh hop beer is a local craft brewer. Large breweries won’t waste the effort and energy to get fresh hops and use them (most of them brew lighter lagers anyway). Some fresh hop beers might get canned and distributed, so be on the lookout for that as well.
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