October in Washington brings juicy plums, the smell of boiling Dungeness crab, and pumpkin spice lattes. But for beer drinkers, October still means wet hop beers. One of the most seasonally specific styles that a brewery can make, wet-hop beers are brewed with just-harvested whole-cone hops rushed from farms to brew kettles to capture the most vibrant flavors and aromas of these pungent flowers before they begin to fade. This limits the brewing period to the very short hops harvest season every August and September, with the bounty arriving in early October, at least this year. Today, Peaks & Pints presents another round of wet-hop beers for an in-house flight, Peaks and Pints Beer Flight: Fresh Hoptober Continues.
Peaks and Pints Beer Flight: Fresh Hoptober Continues
Matchless Emerald Resonance
5.8% ABV
Matchless Brewing’s fresh-hopped, oak foudre-aged Emerald Resonance saison has loads of tart, fruity and funky notes that complement the resonating green character of the fresh Strata hops from Roy Farms.
Fort George … And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Hops
5.8% ABV
“The universe is an immeasurable expanse,” states Fort George Brewery … And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Hops hype. “We are all parasites on the craterous surface of a supine colossus, each clinging to our own massive follicle, staring down eternity as we reach toward one another. We await the inevitable vivification of our consociational habitat. At the appointed time, you will know us by the trail of hops.” And you will remember this fresh hop extra pale ale collaboration with Burial Beer in North Carolina by the fresh Vista hops from McKay Farms. Chinook T90, Vista T90, and Chinook CGX hops add notes of fruit, floral, zesty, and green to this pale ale.
7 Seas Yakima Valley Fresh Hop IPA
6.2% ABV
7 Seas Brewing’s Yakima Valley Fresh Hop IPA is brewed with fresh Centennial hops from Loza Farms added to the kettle within several hours of harvest. It hits the nose with floral notes plus hints of citrus followed by bright citrus flavor.
Icicle Alpenhaze Fresh Hop
6.3% ABV
Icicle Brewing’s signature hazy IPA extra juicy fresh hop version is back with bright, tropical notes of mango, pineapple, tangerine, and apricot from freshly harvested Citra and El Dorado hops. Last year, this freshie grabbed Gold at the Washington Beer Awards Fresh Hop Competition and Best Of Show at Yakima’s Fresh Hop Ale Festival.
Georgetown Fresh Dalton
6.8% ABV
When starting to brew experimental beers, all you must do is follow three simple rules. One, never underestimate your hopping schedule. Expect the unexpected. Two, trying different techniques is absolutely necessary. And three, be nice. Georgetown Brewing‘s Dalton is Bodhizafa’s close cousin, with the same ingredients, like Columbus, Citra, Mosaic and Chinook hops, but with a Road House roundhouse kick, if you know what we mean. The fresh hop version is brewed with fresh Mosaic hops from Tributary Hop Farms for more raw hop nectar character.
LINK: Peaks & Pints beer and cider cooler inventory
