Fresh Hop - HBC 1019
Dru Bru

2024-10-06
16oz pour at the brewery in the pass.

Pours slightly hazy, dark yellow, small head, medium carbonation. Smell is floral and tropical. Some orange. Taste is light pear juice, orange rind bitterness, some grapefruit. Mouthfeel is medium and smooth. Overall, good IPA, interesting hop profile.

neat because this isnt a hop i have seen much of yet, and to have it in a fresh hop beer thats otherwise real simple is a neat way to experience it, but like a lot of the wet hop beers i had this year, i found this almost more in the pale ale space, light enough on the bitterness and grain balanced enough to not quite hit like ipa, and as such maybe not as pure and bold a showcase of the hop as i hoped. i think a lot of folks arent dry hopping with wet hops anymore for these, but rather running warm wort over them after the boil and before the ferment to extract but not scorch some of their goodness, but i think in doing that a lot can get left behind too, not sure they did this that way, just stating that i know the method is on the rise and im not sure everyone is getting the most out of their fresh hops, and this sort of seems like that, a touch underwhelming while still being unique. the beer is lightly copper colored, light in terms of malt body but definitely showing some crystal type malt in it, short white head from the tap and with good clarity. the nose is muted a bit, especially when its cold, subtle dried apricot, mango, and metallics, light orange essence as it warms, peach candy, and floral tea, all of which are there in the flavor too, but kind of flashing in and out, not sustained, rising and falling rather early, and it ends up more malty than hoppy on the back end due to such restrained bitterness. the ferment is pretty clean, the hops do offer some uniqueness, although overall this feels tame to me. good carbonation, easy feel, some oily hop linger but its mellow the whole way, stone fruit and juicy tropical notes to this hop seem like its profile, but ill look forward to more of it in other beers to be sure. exciting times in the northwest!