Last September, Peaks and Pints released The Hunt For Fresh Hoptoberfest on the masses, a month-long autumn beer party marrying up two popular seasonal beers — fresh hops and Oktoberfest. Women dressed in lederhosen. Men got fresh … hop beers. Hop farmers and malters began living together — mass hysteria! This year, Son of Fresh Hoptoberfest was unleashed at our bottle shop, taproom and restaurant in Tacoma’s Proctor District. The month-long Son of Fresh Hoptoberfest ends Sunday, but not without a Son of Fresh Hoptoberfest craft beer flight today. Enjoy bright, hop-hazy fresh-hop beers, just hours from field to kettle and mere days from the fermenter to your glass AND clean, hearty Oktoberfest-style lagers from Germany and nearby as Craft Beer Crosscut 9.28.18: A Flight of Son of Fresh Hoptoberfest.

Skookum Petrichor Oktoberfest

5.8% ABV

Petrichor is the earthy scent produced when rain falls on dry soil. The word is constructed from Greek πέτρα petra, meaning “stone”, and ἰχώρ īchōr, the fluid that flows in the veins of the gods in Greek mythology. Skookum Brewery in Arlington named their Oktoberfest/Marzen style lager “Petrichor,” the fluid that flows in the veins of brewing god and Skookum head brewer, Hollis Wood. Skookum’s Petrichor Oktoberfest is brewed with 100 percent premium German malts and lightly hopped for clean notes of bread and sweet malts with a light hop finish.

Hacker-Pschorr Oktoberfest Lager

6% ABV

Hacker-Pschorr Brewery of Munich ranks among Germany’s oldest breweries. It was first mentioned in a document dating back to 1417 as “Preustatt an der Hagkagasse” (a brewing place in the Hagka lane), located on the site of the current Altes Hackerhaus beer hall at Sendlingerstrasse 14, halfway between the old city hall at Marienplatz and the Sendlinger Tor city gate. A brewer named Simon Hacker purchased the premises in 1738 and renamed it “Hacker Bräu” (Hacker Brew). In 1797, another brewery owner, Josef Pschorr, acquired control of Hacker Bräu by way of marrying Therese Hacker, but the two breweries remained separate entities until they merged in 1972 to form the Hacker–Pschorr Brewery. Hacker-Pschorr Oktoberfest Lager is the beer that they serve at The Oktoberfest. The aroma is buttered white bread roll, straw, cereal, cracker, spice and hay. The taste is on the sweet side sweet with notes of white bread, grass, cracker and cornbread with a dry-ish finish.

Weihenstephaner Festbier

5.8% ABV, 26 IBU

Weihenstephaner claims to be the world’s oldest brewery with a history dating back to 1040. And while peaks and Pints can’t confirm that boast, we can assure you that the centuries of experience show in its Oktoberfest. The Festbier is lighter in color than most — a brilliant gold — and in turn offers a lighter malt character. It hits the nose with all the malt, plus honey and caramel with a little grassy hops. The flavor has only a hint of caramel with dough and bread crust standing out in this supremely drinkable lager.

Double Mountain Killer Green

7.6% ABV, 96 IBU

Double Mountain Brewery and Taproom was established in 2007 in the heart of downtown Hood River, OR. Founder Matt Swihart opened the brewery with a clear mission: make great beer for craft beer fans. Their unique location lends to not only using pure and clean glacial water for their beers, but they also take advantage of regionally grown hops. Killer Green fresh hop IPA is brewed with Brewer’s Gold and Simcoe hops straight from Sodbuster Farms in the Willamette Valley. Quick from bine to the boil for initial bright evergreen, red fruit and blood orange flavors that finishes will all the juicy pine and slight herb.

HUB Complete Darkness

8.5% ABV

Hopworks Urban Brewery’s (HUB) Organic Secession Cascadian Dark Ale was first released in the summer of 2009 for the North American Organic Brewers Festival. Brewed with organic Pilsner, C60, Chocolate and Black malts and a healthy addition of Magnum, Cascade, Amarillo, Falconer’s Flight and Mt. Hood hops for aroma of chocolate, slight roast, resin and piney hops. Taste follows the nose for a well-balanced, super smooth mouthfeel. Now imagine Complete Darkness and a fresh hop beer and that’s the beer that anchors this craft beer flight.