Fresh Hop Downstream Salmon-Safe IPA
Hopworks Brewery

Look: Nearly golden with a lofty head that forms a silky and dimpled pillow before slowly receding, leaving great lacing behind
Aroma: Hmm…Priming sugar jumps out front and refuses to relinquish it’s hold, but I get wafts of grapefruit and dank WAY underneath
Taste: Uh-oh. More of the same here too but the overall ‘green’ (and not in a good way) components are really all that I’m getting. Some prickly alpha acids hit on the finish but that’s it for hops – at all
Mouthfeel: Full, kind of chewy eve, slick, medium-high carbonation, and heavy on the finish from under-attenuation
Overall: I’m not into this one at all. I usually like when a beer tastes green as it can remind me of my own homebrews of the past but for a fresh hop beer, this flat out fails

super cool cans here, and im not sure i know of many breweries doing more fresh hop offerings than these guys. this is another banger from them in this field, a centennial based brew, breathing new life into this hop and showing a side i have not seen from it in years, in addition to being lumber-like, foresty, and sturdy and full of oils, its also sort of spicy here, almost noble in some ways, short of vegetal for sure, but green in a good way, pine needles, citrus pith, more bitterness than most of these have, a sticky sort of sappy vibe, and hints of white and black pepper and green tea on the swallow, a cool showcase of this hop to be sure, and really a rather distinctive brew. i swear i get a little something from the yeast here too, which i dont get in their others, and it brings the grain a little bit forward for balance here, despite this being dry and fairly minimally malty. very clean and professionally made, nice use of the centennial here, in some ways it drinks like a pale ale, earthy and wet all the way through too, not overly complex but it doesnt need to be, all about the hops here, and it feels like a very specific expression of a particular place. these guys have continually improved their hop game, and its culminating in all these heady wet hop brews this year. this is fire.

Pours a clear amber with fine-grained foam in the New Belgium snifter. Quite spritzy on the tongue. Mild aroma of orange with hints of mango and pine. Some green melon and a finish of green herbs and mineral tang. Clean and fresh with less depth of flavor than many IPAs.

This is the classic grassy whole cone brew. Moderate acidity but quite resiny. Bitter aftertaste as the aromatics fade. Quite drinkable if not very interesting. From the 16 oz can purchased at Community Coop. Dated 16 Sept 2021 on the bottom.

 

Nice floral and herbal notes. Slightly hazy, thickish head. First taste is clearly fresh hop. Clean taste, long aftertaste, moderate dryness. A good IPA, made better with the fresh hops.

16oz can from Brewers Haven. Bright, hazy yellow pour with a small, clingy foam head. Grassy, bready aroma with light hoppy notes. Taste showcases the hops, grassy, floral. Bitterness comes in late with a bit of dryness.