Summit Harvest Fresh IPA

OK. 3 way taste test. Summit Harvest Fresh IPA / Brau Bros Hundred Yard Dash Fresh Hop Ale / Summit Sága (kind of as a base-line comparison).

Color is almost identical between Summit Harvest Fresh and Hundred Yard Dash, dark amber - darker than Sága. Sága has the larger head, followed by Harvest Fresh, with Hundred Yard Dash having little head at all (with my pouring technique – YMMV). Both Summit heads linger longer than Hundred Yard Dash, but the Hundred Yard Dash has better lacing. Sága has more head and more carbonation and is lighter in color than the other two.

Hundred Yard Dash aroma is citrus with bready malt; Harvest Fresh has a “fresher” citrus aroma with less obvious malt. Sága has a more piney aroma.

Hundred Yard Dash has a bready, thick mouth feel. Initial taste almost a British malt followed by hops bitterness, lingering into the aftertaste. Hundred Yard Dash , therefore, is somewhat better balanced that a typical American IPA, but there are still plenty of hops. The hops taste is more resin than citrus, despite the aroma.

The Harvest Fresh has a thick mouth feel, but not quite as thick as the Hundred Yard Dash. Sága mouth feel is similar of Harvest Fresh, but with a more piney taste.

Harvest Fresh is nicely balanced with malts in the taste with the citrus of the hops coming through. Also a bit of piney flavor, but not as much as Sága.

The Harvest Fresh is better than Hundred Yard Dash as an IPA, but I actually prefer the Hundred Yard Dash due to the greater maltiness. I really have no idea how either of these “fresh hops” compare with what is expected from a “fresh hops” ale. Whatever the fresh hops are supposed to bring, I got nothing in either but a normal IPA with better malt balance.

I really like the almost British bitter malt presence in the Hundred Yard Dash.

I would rank the three (in terms of my enjoyment, not relative to style or fresh hops expectations):
1. Hundred Yard Dash
2. Summit Harvest Fresh IPA
3. Summit Sága

Given the price demanded for the six pack of Hundred Yard Dash, it will be difficult to justify buying more.I will definitely be buying more of the Summit Harvest Fresh. Given the malt flavor of the Hundred Yard Dash, I do wonder if I have an older beer where the hops have faded (good for me, if not what the brewer intended). The date code on one of the bottles was 15/22S/167/14/2222, with one being too smudged to read, and with the other four bottles having no date on them at all.

 

I don't doubt this. I was only stating what was posted in the linked thread about the history of "fresh hops" beers.

 

It's not bad, but I was really hyped for this and was slightly let down. Another nice beer, but I enjoy Saga more.

 

^ this. My problem was that I drank a couple of chasin' freshies this year and was blown away. That and my memory of Surly wet from a couple of years back has created some unrealistic expectations. Summit was good....but no comparison to those two.

 

Foto Fresh and Founders Harvest are the clear winners of the wet hop beers this season.

 

Harvest Ale was the clear winner for me this year. If only we could get it less than a month old.

 

Is this still hard to find in the Twin Cities or should a friend be able to get it now at regular stores that carry crafts like Cellars, etc?

 

Should be easy to find ZAP. I've seen it at all the craft stores I got to.