Summit Harvest Fresh IPA

I thought it was average as I expected more aroma and hoppiness. Indeed's Mosiac fresh hop is so much better, IMO.

 

I really like this one. The combination wet/freshly pelletized hops keeps the beer from being too "fresh", like Indeeds this year, which to me smells like a ripe armpit and tastes like green onions. So far my favourite wet beer this year is 100 Yard Dash. I'd rank Summit as #2.

 

Did you try Lucid Foto Fresh? I actually thought that was a clear number one to the others you mentioned. Really green and grassy fresh hop goodness in that one.

 

Couldn't agree more.

 

Any idea on where I can find Foto Fresh in bottles? I live in the south metro.

 

It might all be gone by now down here. Blue Max and Red Lion only received one case each and this was about 2 weeks ago. Might have to call some of the lesser knowns. Good luck!

 

Not this year, but I remember liking it last year.

 

Turning fresh hops into pellets and still calling it a fresh hop beer makes absolutely no sense. Or is half and half? In any event, that's pretty odd.

 

Their video explained what the fresh pellets are and what they expected from them. I've had one of the Harvest Fresh IPA's, alongside a Sága. I liked it, but I admit, I don't really know what to expect from a fresh hop beer. I intend (soon... next couple of days, probably) to do a second taste alongside the Brau Brothers Hundred Yard Dash I bought. I expect the Hundred Yard Dash to be more typical of the fresh hop "style". I'll post a more complete impression of the beer after that. (I generally don't post a review until I've had the beer on two separate days. That way, the second one is not overly impacted by expectations).

 

I like it. But it it's definitely Celebration; not Wet.

 

Going to side by side Founders Harvest and Unchained 17, will report back, maybe

 

"too fresh"? That description sounds more Ras Trent (Samburg skit) than fresh. Haven't had the Summit yet, but I seem to like anything with Mosaic, including this year's Indeed ripe pit version.

 

for me, it wasn't even close. founders by a mile. and I really liked summit's as well, founders is just that good.

 

I thought Summit held its own against Founders, while I do agree founders was the "More enjoyable" beer, I did really enjoy that summit had a nice malt backbone to it. Maybe the fact that $8.99 a 6'r vs $10.99 a 4pk has persuaded my decision

 

There is a difference between Fresh hop and Wet hop people. Many more Fresh hop beers coming to the market/being branded that way this year. 100 yard dash and Indeed's Mosaic are Wet hop, with the hops being used before being dried, within 24-36 hours of being harvested. Fresh hop is just using this year's crop soon after they are harvested and dried/pelletized. Shouldn't have to same expectations for the 2 discreet styles.

 

Actually from what I have seen over the years, Sierra Nevada is the only one to make that distinction. Everyone else uses fresh and wet interchangeably.

http://www.newbelgium.com/beer/detail.aspx?id=a2b8952c-2966-4219-bfa6-f4da214e8bf2
http://greatdivide.com/beer/seasonal/fresh-hop/
http://www.ohio.com/blogs/the-beer-...release-hop-stalker-in-16-ounce-cans-1.507653


http://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/wet-vs-fresh-hop-how-should-these-terms-be-used.20342/

 

I tried the Hundred Yard Dash last night; not a side-by-side, since I didn't have the time for a proper comparison, so just by itself. My first impression was ho-hum. It was a nice IPA, but not particularly unique for an IPA, and not worth the premium price I paid for it. Certainly no "wow, so that's a fresh hop / wet hop". This is a first impression. More later on 2nd taste. While I haven't compared the Summit side-by-side yet with the Brau Brothers, so far, I like the Summit better.

And BTW, on the fresh hop / wet hop distinction, since using "just harvested hops pelleted on low heat" is different from using "whole undried just harvested hops", one would think there SHOULD be a nomenclature difference.

 

Yep, that's a SN thing that is used to justify the phrase "fresh hop ale" on the Celebration bottles. Fresh Hop is the more commonly used phrase out here in the PNW Land of Hops (tm) for direct field to kettle fresh/wet hop beers that are made by nearly every single brewery. You don't see Wet Hop used very often.

Just spreading the love of fresh hop beers. Come on out to WA or OR next year, the plethora of offerings will blow your mind.

 

The BA thread linked to has at least one response that says that the term "fresh hops" originally meant "dried hops from this year". The modern craft brewers basically absconded with the term and made it a synonym for "wet hops". (Again, according to a post in the linked thread... personally, IDK.)

 

Sure, I'm just going off what I see out here where fresh hop beers are very commonplace this time of year. Very interchangeable terms.

I can't think of a single PNW brewery that refers to a fresh hop beer as something other than freshly harvested hops that are in the brew less than 24 hours after being picked.