Fresh hops are temperamental things. Hops growers have about 24 hours to get them from the field to the drying kiln before they start showing signs of spoiling. But if you can instead get them into a batch of beer within that 24-hour window...well, then you get a seasonal treat above all others. Hops harvest around the country is almost over, which means special brewery releases of fresh-hopped beers will be hitting store shelves any day now.
Fresh-hopped beers show a whole different side of the hops game. The hops flavors are brighter, fresher, and more delicate than the perfumey bitterness we're used to other hoppy brews. Think: fresh-cut grass, meadow flowers, and just-peeled citrus.
The point with fresh-hops is also not to totally overload your senses with hoppiness, which would muddle the uber-fresh flavors and aromas. There are some exceptions, of course, but fresh hops are usually best showcased in pale ales where they don't have to compete with either super-sweet malts or a lot of bitterness.
It also takes a lot of fresh hops to fully flavor a batch of beer. For this reason, batches of fresh-hopped beer tend to be small and sold in limited releases. If you see a bottle, snap it up! You might not get another chance to try this year's batch. Look for both "fresh-hopped" and "wet-hopped" on the label; both indicate the use of fresh hops in the brewing process.
Fresh-Hopped Beers to Try
Chasin' Freshies from Deschutes Brewery
Harvest Ale from Founders Brewing Co.
Fresh Hop Pale Ale from Great Divide Brewing Company
Autumnation from Sixpoint Brewery
Chatoe Rogue Wet-Hopped Ale from Rogue Ales
Which fresh-hopped beers do you like best?
Related: Dry-Hopped Beers: More Hops, More Awesome?
(Images: Deschutes Brewery, Sixpoint Brewery, and Founders Brewing Co.)
So Handsome Teacher Ive been meaning to write a post about some hot issues that have occurred here in the past couple of months. First of all, just recently, GEPIK (Gyeonggi-do ... TEXASBREWS.ORG Advocating for Texas Craft Beer Spreading the Gospel of Texas Craft Beer ... Tailgating was made for Texas beer By: Brandon East 09/27/2012 Tailgating is a pretty simple concept: Food and drinks ... The Session Beer Project Just heard the following; session continues to roll on: A longtime staple in Hawaii will soon make its way ashore, courtesy of Hawaii-born Kona Brewing Company. Philly Beer Week 2013 * May 31 - June 9 * Search Results America's Best Beer Drinking City ... 2012 Philly Beer Week. All Rights Reserved. BlogVermont Snow Rentals Vermont Snow Rentals Top 5 Vermont Fall Activities to do Before Winter September 12, 2012. Theres a common saying about Vermont weather Dont like it? Wait five minutes. Colorado Craft Beer Show :: AM 760 Another road show this week at Strange Brewing Company to kick of Denver Beer Fest Week! Co owner and brewer Tim Myers sat in almost the entire show! History of Drinking! For some traditional music, select from this menu and wait a moment for the song to download and play. Topic Galleries -- chicagotribune.com - Chicago Tribune: Chicago ... Topic galleries provide easy access to stories and photos about people, places, organizations, events and subjects of interest to you. They bring together rich ... Good Beer Trips The snow and ice may be gone, but that doesnt mean you have to stop enjoying great winter beers. One way to continue is to attend the Base Camp Winter Ale Fest on ... Madison Craft Beer Week Event Guide Madison Craft Beer Week is May 4 through May 13, 2012 throughout Madison, Wisconsin and the Greater Dane County area.
No comments:
Post a Comment