Fresh Hop 2020

Almost through the backlog here. Tonight's selection:

FH Mirror Pond - a classic I haven't had in a few years. Straightforward Cascade flavor - grapefruit and pine, sightly floral and herbal. Not a big aroma, plenty of malt flavor here and could stand up to more hops. Still good regardless.

Block 15 Fresh Catch - Pleasantly surprised by this one. A nice clear and clean pale with tons of Strata flavor and aroma. FH bite is here but doesn't dominate. Near the top of the list for me this year.

 

OK. I lied about my last FH last weekend. Having a pint of Ratchet Hop Picker FH. Centennial. Really good for this late in the season.

 

Next Citra Slicker. Excellent .

 

Mods, can we shut this thread down? This is 2020, not 2008. We are not supposed to be this excited about 4 week old IPA.

 

Well, not so fast there, amigo.

Right now I'm having a Three Magnets Hop On IPA, canned on 10/13 and fresh hopped with Cashmere hops from Cornerstone Ranches:



Picked it up today at New Seasons Cedar Hills. It's pretty good, too. Plenty of fresh hop character.

And after this I have one more new-to-me fresh hop beer in the fridge. Don't know when that one was bottled, but I'm sure it will be my last new FH beer for the 2020 season.

I mean, it is November...

 

And finally:



A juicy, citrusy pale ale with balanced maltiness and nice finishing bitterness. The fresh hop character is mild, but still enjoyable. This is very tasty! A satisfying closer for the 2020 fresh hop season.

I may post a wrap up of my favorites and the ones that really surprised me.

 

Missoula got Cowiche Canyon. Will have some after work.

 

And it's still tasty.

 

Heading out from Missoula tomorrow morning/afternoon.. Just confirmed Barley Brown's Taphouse still has FH PJ Simcoe and Mosaic.

Will probably still stop at Perry Street and Whistlepunk because going through Spokane only adds 30 minutes to the drive from MSO to Baker City.

And less drive time through Idaho.

 

I've had 48 uniques and I have a 49th in the fridge. I'm thinking I need to track down one more for 50.

 

If you're looking for more in town I think Ridgewood is probably your best bet right now:

https://www.ridgewoodbottleandtap.com/shop/fresh-hop/73

Looks like Burke-Gilman has one to go:
https://burkegilmanbrewing.square.site/

And Populuxe still has a Fresh hop mosaic red on tap they will put in a crowler.

 

vurt's Fresh Hop Season 2020:

Numbers

• Number of different FH beers I tried this year: 70 (a surprising 15% increase over last year)
• Number of different hops: 20
• Most popular hops: Strata (17 beers!), Centennial (11), Citra (10), Mosaic (10), and Simcoe (7)
• Number of different beer styles: 11*
• Most popular beer style: IPA**
• Number of states: 4 (Oregon, Washington, Ohio, Wisconsin)

Favorites
Listed in the order I tried them:

• Breakside Fresh Guy IPA (Strata)
• Fort George Rock, Paper, Sterling (Sterling)
• Breakside Fresh Hop Pilsner (Sterling)
• Ex Novo Fresh Hop Mass Ascension IPA (Mosaic)
• Barley Brown’s Fresh Hop Pallet Jack IPA (Simcoe)
• Fremont Head Full of Fresh Hops (Mosaic, Talus)
• Barley Brown’s Fresh Hop Pallet Jack IPA (Mosaic)
• Sunriver D’Kine Mosaic Fresh Hop IPA (Mosaic)

Surprises
These were surprises because they came from breweries that hadn't produced what I considered a top-tier FH beer in years past. Or because they were a style I thought didn't work well as a FH beer, and I was proven wrong. All were delicious. Listed in the order I tried them):

• Zoiglhaus Oktoberfresh (Abiqua)
• Migration Fresh Outta Portland FH IPA (Strata)
• StormBreaker Handfuls of Fresh! Hops Double Fresh Hopped IPA (Strata, El Dorado)
• Ferment Amarillo Fresh Hop Pale Ale (Amarillo)
• Old Town Hopicana FH Hazy IPA (Mosaic, City)
• Machine House Fresh Hop Simcoe Bitter (Simcoe)

-----
* I treated IPA, imperial IPA, and triple IPA as distinct styles. Your Mileage May Vary.
** Two-thirds of all FH beers I tried this year were IPAs.

 

I applaud your meticulousness and bow to the strength of your liver. Prost!

 

I like lists.

I also like FH beers.

 

Starting with FH PJ Simcoe at the tasting room in Baker City.

FH Mosaic is next.

 

Prefer the Mosaic btw.

 

I got my 50th at the PCC by my house last night. Will drink it and 49 tonight in celebration of Trump losing.

I had a crowler of Burke Gilman's FH Beer Run to Moscow last weekend and really enjoyed it.

I will rank all 50 of them probably on Sunday. THE LIST WARS HAVE BEGUN.

 

Trying the Zoiglhaus Oktoberfresh while I'm prepping an apple, goat cheese, and prosciutto tart for dinner. Malt is nice and bready, sweet in a baked pretzel kind of way. Hop flavor is earthy, lightly spicy, and some red fruit/citrus. Compared to the Level FH Oktoberfest, this is less bitter but the hop flavor is more well balanced. Still very good and would drink again.

 

Head Full of Fresh hops is still available here in West Salem. Would it still be good? Like when was it made?..