Topic Archives: Wet Hopped
Left Hand Warrior Returns
Fall means hop harvest. Hop Harvest means fresh hopped beers. Hops are fresh picked off the vine and added to the beer usually within a day. Left Hand Brewing (Longmont, CO) is a released once a year concurrent with the fall harvest. This years release got a new label makeover, like Left Hand’s entire line has this year. Quick note, the first deliveries in 2010 are a bit thin, more cases to follow shortly.
Commercial Description:
Full of fresh hop flavors, this fresh-hopped IPA has become an annual cult classic. Brewed only once a year using fresh whole flower Colorado grown hops flown in from Rising Sun Farms in Paonia by Schwall and Spears Hop Freight Service. A strong malt foundation complements the bright floral hoppiness, allowing for a well-balanced, drinkable IPA.
Beer Rundown:
Style: American IPA
Hops: Fresh Cascade, Warrior. Colorado grown
Malts: Pale 2 Row, Crystal, Wheat
Taste Expectations: Hops grapefruit & piney. Spicy & herbal are great descriptions. Sweet caramel toasted malts round this out.
Availability: 22oz bombers. Draft. Brewed seasonally once a year.
6.6% ABV
NEW RELEASE: Sierra Nevada Estate Homegrown Ale
Sierra Nevada is easily one of the most environmentally conscious breweries in the United States. Based in Chico, California, Sierra is mostly solar powered, owns a rail spur, and now has released it’s first 100% certified organic beer – “Estate Homegrown Ale”. All the ingredients are grown on site at the brewery. Currently Sierra Nevada has close to 50 acres in which they grow barley and hops. Hops include Citra, Cascade & Chinook. Estate Ale is “wet hopped” with hops picked fresh on brew day.
Commercial Description:
Here in the sun-drenched fields of California’s North Valley, the black soil is rich with promise. In winter, rows of barley seed are laid in the freshly tilled dirt. In spring, trellises are set for hops. From our fields comes a remarkable homegrown ale, made with organic wet hops and barley grown at our brewery here in Chico and one of the few estate-made ales produced anywhere in the world! This Estate Ale is rich with the flavors of the valley–featuring hops with earthy, grapefruit-like flavors and layered spicy aromas and barley with mild sweetness and smooth, toasted flavors. Together, these crops grow alongside the brewery to make a truly unique brew. Enjoy!
Style: American IPA
Taste Expectations: Fresh hop aroma, with wet juicy floral & grapefruit hop flavor. Slightly spicy, with a touch of sweet caramel malt balance.
Availability: 750 ML Capped & Waxed Bottles.
6.7% ABV
Great Divide Fresh Hop
Fall is the hop harvest, and with it comes fresh/wet hopped beers. Great Divide Brewing (Denver, CO) does great things, especially in bottle. Hop heads this is another beer for you. It’s not overly hoppy, but fresh. Very fresh.
Commercial Description:
Fresh Hop Pale Ale is brewed with fresh, whole cone hops from the Pacific Northwest. We ship these “wet” hops to Denver overnight and brew shortly after harvest, imparting an intensely grassy hop aroma and citrus hop flavor in a medium-bodied ale.
Style: American Pale Ale
Taste Expectations: A mix of fresh pine & citrus hops. Hops are crisp & juicy. Sweet caramel malts balance this beer nicely.
Food Pairings: GD recomends Epoisses, a runny, rich intensely perfumed cheese from France, Grilled trout, Bratwurst, Garlic/ginger sweet potatoes
Availability: 22oz Bombers. Some Draft. October-November seasonally.
6.1% ABV
NEW RELEASE: Chatoe Rogue Wet Hop
Here is another offering in the Chatoe Rogue series. This series features beers with ingredients grown in Rogue Brewing’s hop & malt yards in Oregon. That’s why they refer to it as GYO or, Grow Your Own. Wet Hop in indeed hopped with fresh, green hops from the hop farm.
Beer Rundown:
Style: Pale Ale
Hops: Rogue Micro Hopyard Freedom, Revolution, Independent, Rebel, Alluvial and Liberty
Malts: Carawheat, Carafoam and Rogue Micro Barley Farm Dare, Risk
Yeast: Pacman
Taste Expectations: Robust, nutty. Touch of caramel. Clean, citrus hops.
Availability: 22oz Bombers. Draft. One time release.
6.4% ABV
Looking for this? Hop City, Green’s, Tower, Mac’s (Downtown)
Terrapin’s So Fresh & So Green, Green Arrives!
Without further ado, Terrapin Brewing’s fresh hopped IPA is here. This the first release of this beer that will now come out annual each fall. Each year it will feature a different “wet” hop.
Terrapin’s Description:
Amarillo hop goodness is what this beer is all about! Twelve thirty pound boxes of Amarillo flown in overnight from the Yakima Valley in Washington State…to be exact. This is a beer that celebrates the hop! Made with freshly picked, whole leaf, “wet hops” these off the vine beauties will encourage you to drink fresh, drink local and drink now!
Beer Rundown:
Hops: Fresh, wet Amarillo
Malts: 2 Row, Marris Otter, Best Munich, Honey, Fawcett Crystal
Taste Expectations: Unbelievable fresh hop flavor. Very floral. Balanced with a nice light malt finish.
Availability: 22oz bombers. Draft. Seasonal brew. Different hop in 2011
Cellar? NO! It’s a fresh hop beer. As Terrapin says – Drink fresh, drink now!
6.7% ABV
Looking for this? 10/14, 2pm @ Greens on Ponce
Terrapin SP#13 “So Fresh & So Green Green”
Here’s your Terrapin Side Project status update. Recent releases – #10 – Cap’t Krunkles Black IPA. #11 -Boom Shakalager Bavarian Imperial Pilsner. Release #12 is about to arrive – Hopzilla Imperial IPA. September brings another hoppy offering from the Athens, GA brewer. Side Project #13 is dubbed “So Fresh & So Green Green.” For some that title may sound familiar. Think about. Think… Outkast. It’s a play on the lyric – “So fresh and so clean, clean” from the Atlanta based duo’s 2001 album “Stankonia.”
So Fresh & So Green Green is a wet hopped ale. Wet hopping is the act of taking whole leave, fresh picked hops right off the vine and adding them to the brew. It’s similar to Sweetwater’s Wet Dream. Wet hops impart a very unique flavor profile to beer. Not all the details have been released by Terrapin yet. The label tells us this –
“Terrapin’s “So Fresh and so Green, Green” is a beer that celebrates the hop! Made with freshly picked, whole leaf “wet” hops, these off-the-vine beauties will encourage you to drink fresh, drink local and drink now. 6.6% ABV.”
Style: American IPA
Arrival: SP #13 debuts at Terrapin’s Hop Harvest on September 25th, 2010 from 4:30 – 7:30 pm
