Dawn of Fresh Hoptoberfest

If you haven’t been following Peaks & Pints’ Fresh Hoptoberfest timeline in September 2017 we 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 biers. Women dressed in lederhosen. Men got fresh … hop beers. Hop farmers and maltsters lived together — mass hysteria! This year, our eighth consecutive Fresh Hoptoberfest, which we’re weirdly calling “Dawn of Fresh Hoptoberfest”, continues our month-long autumn beer party marrying up the two popular seasonal beer styles. Launching Sunday, Sept. 1, Peaks & Pints will tap fresh hop and Oktoberfest beers daily through Monday, Sept. 30. Expect, at least, two bright, hop-hazy fresh-hop beers on tap AND two clean, hearty Oktoberfest-style lagers on tap.

You see, autumn beer offers far more than nutmeg and allspice. Historically, the fall season was an important time for brewers. Before refrigeration and climate control, fermentation in warmer months was unpredictable, and brewing in the summer was more likely to yield an impure beer. In 1553, a Bavarian law was passed that banned summer beer production altogether.

The result? Brewers ramped up in March, brewing a strong, malty lager that could last through the beerless summer months. That style became known as Märzen, from the German word for March. Stored in cool caves and allowed to slowly ferment, the crisp yet robust beer became a perfect transition into the colder fall months, eventually fueling raucous Oktoberfest celebrations around the world.

These days, a true Märzen is hard to find. But plenty of brewers take a crack at similar styles, including festbiers, Maibock’s and dunkels. Whatever the name, a pint of malty, dark lager is the perfect accompaniment for the changing seasons, and Peaks and Pints will keep them on tap through September.

Fresh hops are another great gift of the season. Most of the year, brewers coax flavor and aroma out of dried and pelleted hops. But in late summer and early fall, when the precious hop cones are plump and fragrant, many brewers experiment with fresh- (or “wet”-) hopped IPAs, pale ales and lagers. Straight from the Yakima Valley and a couple hours later into the kettle, fresh hops lend a piney, citrusy taste and delicate fizz — kind of like cooking with fresh herbs and spices instead of something that’s been on the shelf for a while. Unlike Oktoberfest styles, wet-hopped beer should be consumed as quickly as possible after brewing, as all those delicate nuances dissipate so fast that every hour after its keg has been tapped creates essentially a new beer.

As we drilled into your head above, Peaks & Pints will keep fresh hops AND Oktoberfest biers on tap daily through September 2024, sometimes with a special “toberfest” theme of the day, beginning at 11 a.m.

Das ist frisch!

DAWN OF FRESH HOPTOBERFEST, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Sept. 1-30, 2024, Peaks and Pints, 3816. N. 26th St., Basecamp Proctor, Tacoma, no cover