Fresh Hop 2024

Bale Breaker plus Russian River freshie, you say?

Portland friends, I always enjoy visiting your fair city and partaking in the fermented abundance that flows from the taps. If I had one day to sip on two or three pours, and a suitcase to check with a few cans perhaps, what would be the absolute best use of my far too limited time?

 

I know what I said about hazy FH beers but this one has always been a favorite. It is a little lacking in the IBUs (see HFOFH) but it’s still pretty good. Cheers NWBA!

 

OK. Yesterday was my daughter's birthday so it seems auspicious that I had a string of really good FH offerings while making/eating dinner.
And that means that I've gotten into enough of them this year to start to have formulated an inkling of some tiers. So here's my opinions so far!!
Beers are loosely listed in order of preference within the tiers, but shared tiers are shared for a reason.

Top of the line. Seek them out. This is what this season is all about.
--Fremont - Cowiche Canyon (probably the strongest FH character across the middle of the sip so far)
--Bale Breaker and Russian River - Green Rush
--Stoup - Fresh Hop Fiend (the Italian pils version with Citra) (this is probably the most pronounced FH character on the finish that I've encountered this whole season)

Very solid all around and probably even has solid FH character but for whatever reason just falls short of the tippy top tier above.

--Block 15 - FH Sticky Hands
--Reuben's and Gnarley Barley - Fresh Hop Nosegrab

Very good. Generally one of the metrics stands out with the rest just being solid, but not FH special.
--Fort George - Fresh (the finish [and the general baseline beer] is the standout element here)
--Ravenna - Wet Season: Strata (the middle palate is the standout FH element)
--Holy Mountain and Brujos - Garden Green (it grew on me as I worked through the glass. The finish was its standout element)

Solidly enjoyable, but either doesn't really showcase the FH or just doesn't meet me for whatever reason.
--Reuben's - FH Crikey
--Holy Mountain - As Within, So Without
--Fremont - Head Full of Fresh Hops
--Jellyfish - Mandatory Fun (Great FH character on the nose... really one of the best highlights of the floral [especially rose hip] character of Centennial I've ever encountered. Unfortunately the rest of the experience is just ok)
--Fremont - Field to Ferment



Dishonorable mention as the weakest option I've sampled this year... Matchless - StrataFresh (a disappointing surprise. I feel like I've enjoyed their stuff in the past)

 

Cross-post with WPNWBAYDN:
Forgot to post this yesterday, but after making a run to Goodwill (I'll be doing that a lot in the foreseeable future, as I keep having to downsize), I bipped into Perry Street for a burger and a FH beer. This was A Tribe Called Fresh:

Glorious fresh Simcoe hopped WCIPA.

 

Cross post, sorta. (Added thoughts)



From the can “Featuring fresh, wet Perrault Farms Mosaic and Black Star Ranch Citra with freshly dried Loza Farms Comet, Sauve & Sons Citra, Cornerstone Ranch Cashmere & CLS Farms Zappa.”

So, this one in my mind has the “dank,” pine, and citrus. Also, has that onion to it, but in a good way. (Onion and beer sounds gross. Haha). I am probably not describing that right. Closest I can come up with. I get that “good onion”with Mosiac influenced ipas. Jedi @sharpski coach me up. I am a padawan.

Amazing hop burps. The beer that keeps giving.

 

Trap Door Co-hop IPA FH.
Mosaic and Strata.
Very nice, quite invigorating.

 

This was particularly impressive this year.

 

Ferment Strata FH IPA
Different..like most Ferment beers, I have had
It's that soft almost conditioned mouth feel.
Lovely beer

 

This stuff gets around.
As others have said very well put together.
But for me minimal FH feel.
Anyways I thought Ecliptic had gone ?

 

We are! We moved back this spring/summer and have been busy with getting settled in... found a house, had another kid, the dog is dying, trying to sort out work, enjoying the fresh hops, you know the whole shebang.

 

"Invigorating" is a great descriptor, and makes me want to try that beer.

 

Ecliptic was sold to a group called Great Frontier Holdings, who also own Ninkasi. All of Ecliptic's beers are now brewed by Ninkasi in Eugene, and Von Ebert is moving into the old Ecliptic brewery/restaurant.