Fresh Luck
Single Hill Brewing

Hop Harvest 2024 version.

Poured from a can. According to the label, this has nine (?!?) different hop varieties in the mix. Looks incredible, smells great, tastes fantastic! I get a light, pleasing aroma with hard candies and stone fruits in the mix. Berry gummies, a touch of peach on the sip. Low bitterness and a lingering finish.

this is not only one of the best ipa types ive ever had, but its straight up one of the best beers to ever hit my lips, any style, any producer, i swear to god. this hit me like a freight train, never have i experienced hop glory this pure, i couldnt believe it on tap at the source, but even the four pack of pint cans i brought home have delivered each time i have cracked into one, truly an elite beverage here, something i feel blessed to have encountered. it is made with a whole mess of fresh hops from a bunch of world class farms, which is largely why its so special. alora, amarillo, simcoe, sabro, adha 218, and zappa, but i think it changes year to year, i will assuredly be seeking it out again next year. its a shade more orange than blonde, but its not quite malty looking or anything, pretty clear but probably unfiltered to retain as much of this hop goodness as possible, and holding about an inch of white head, its an oily beer from all the hops but it doesnt seem to reduce head retention much. the aroma is wonderful, everything from mowed lawn to broken coconut to key lime, melon rind, and lemon balm, but also more familiar notes of white grapefruit and fresh cut pine, incredible pungency and freshness, verdant and brand new but not green or vegetal, bursting with weedy dankness, just enough malt in here for balance and structure it seems, neutral ferment, off dry, super extended hops and they all hit at different moments in the flavor. i think i love alora, but its new and i dont know it very well yet, but its doing to something cool in here, orange candy meets fresh pineapple meets a juiciness level rarely seen. the freshness of it all is striking, but so is the saturation without it being too intense. slightly woody and woodsy, rich without being heavy, and both lush and sticky icky at the same time. layers of ripe melon, juicy fruit gum, and grape sativa all mingle, and i taste a little something different each sip i take, it also evolves a lot as it warms. nice back end bitterness but not overly intense, just an epic combination of high quality supremely fresh hops in this. a beer of the year candidate for me here in 2024, one can left in the fridge for this weekend too! absolute banger, do not miss this one, and put single hill on the map!

Clear amber brew with lots of foam in the Belle-Vue glass. Aroma is an eye-opening splash of zippy hops. Sharp and spritzy on the tongue. Little or no malty sweetness. Very resiny taste. Flavors of green stuff, even hints of arugula, and quite hot and spicy. This is a textbook example of fresh hops, and who cares what they are, it's just the blast of hoppy aromas and the hot, acidic fresh taste. Quite sippable and definitely one to look for, but not one for an extended relationship. See you next year, same time. From the 16 oz can purchased at Bridge and Tunnel Bottleshop in Astoria. No apparent date.

16oz can (no packaging date visible, but recent and almost certainly only a few weeks old, if that) into a tulip. Pours a clear pale golden color with a frothy white head, patchy lace.

Aroma is a juicy blend of mostly citrus and pine—grapefruit and orange, some very “green” hop resin. This beer smells alive.

Taste has that same green hop character—abundant alpha acids on a balanced, relatively neutral canvas of pale biscuity malt with just the slightest degree of sweetness. Finishes crisp and pleasingly bitter. Deceptively simple.

Mouthfeel is likewise nicely balanced with a medium body.

Overall an understated, elegantly constructed fresh hop beer. This is what the season is all about. My only quibble is the classification, as I could easily see this as being an APA as opposed to an IPA—but those lines are pretty blurry so I guess either style is arguably accurate.

 

10 ounce tulip from the Westside Taphouse in West Salem Oregon.
$6.00.
Pours a clear deep golden. Lovely thick frothy white head. Great lace.
Very strong fresh hop aroma..grass, pine, citrus.. it's all here. It is a mixed FH.
Taste so great..just a taste explosion on the tongue..pine.. grapefruit.. whatever. It's overwhelming.
Beautiful mouth feel..so well carbonated.
A masterpiece. A beautiful beer.