my friend willy at intuition ale works let me know they just brewed their annual fresh hop beer! this years batch is called doobie. they do this once a year in the fall immediately after hops are harvested and usually only have one to two weeks notice when they will get their shipment. this means they have to be standing by ready to brew.

the hops are picked and overnighted from farms in washington state to their jacksonville, florida brewery. generally they get two varieties one week then another variety a week or two later. this year they received simcoe and centennial at first and then citra for dry hopping.

the freshly picked hops are brewed within a day of receiving them so they are still fresh off the vine. they brew a rather plain pale ale at 5% to let the hops show off their flavor and aroma. i hope i get a chance to try this years batch!!!

check out more information on fresh hop ales as well as intuition ale works! also check out the below photo of intuitions new 120 bbl tanks they just received. they look like NASA rockets!

– ryan

intuition ale works

720 king street
jacksonville, florida 32204
904.683.7720

tuesday to friday from 3:00pm to 11:00pm
saturday from 1:00pm to 11:00pm

with the help of my buddy rob from oregon, here is the lineup of wet/fresh hop ales i will be tasting and comparing!

from left to right:
silver moon brewing – hop-popatamus fresh hop ale – 6.7% – bend, or
bridgeport brewing – hop harvest ale – 6.56% – portland, or
deschutes brewery – hop trip fresh hop pale ale – 5.5% – bend, or
sierra nevada brewing co – celebration fresh hop ale – 6.8% – chico, ca
sierra nevada brewing co – estate homegrown ale – 6.7% – chico, ca
sierra nevada brewing co – northern hemisphere harvest – 6.7% – chico, ca
sweetwater brewing co – border hop-per ale – 8.6% – atlanta, ga
terrapin beer co – so fresh & so green, green fresh hop beer – 6.7% – athens, ga
great divide brewing – fresh hop pale ale – denver, co
rogue brewery – wet hop ale – 6.4% – newport, or

– ryan

my favorite time of the year has finally arrived! we have cool weather, fall foliage, and, as of last week, we have the 2010 lineup of wet hop ales!

in case you missed my post at the beginning of the summer, wet/fresh hop ales are by far my favorite beers and are only around for a couple months of the year. this type of beer is unique to american craft breweries and is quite the treat when you can find them. these tasty brews are made with wet hops that are delivered to the brewery the same day they are harvested. the brewers are waiting on hand to add the wet hops to the kettle while at the peak of their freshness. the result is one of the hoppiest, most flavorful beers around. it’s the equivalent of cooking with fresh herbs rather then dried ones.

so far i have only been able to find sierra nevada’s northern hemisphere harvest in atlanta, but i am sure many more will be available soon. in the meantime northern hemisphere harvest is totally satisfying my fix.

i will be trying any and all wet/fresh hops ales i can find this fall, so be sure to check back for more reviews! i hear from my buddy rob in oregon that the rogue wet hop ale is also great, hopefully he can send me one.

– ryan

sierra nevada

1075 east 20th street
chico, ca 95928
530-893-3520

it’s been a little while since i’ve brewed beer but i am still a big fan, especially of hoppy IPAs. i love when fall approaches and breweries begin to release their fresh/wet hop ales. these tasty treats are brewed with wet hops that are delivered to the brewery the same day they are harvested. the brewers are waiting on hand to add the wet hops to the kettle while at the peak of their freshness. the result is one of the hoppiest, most flavorful beers around. it’s the equivalent of cooking with fresh herbs rather then dried ones.

one of my favorite wet hop ales during the fall is sierra nevada’s northern hemisphere harvest. this was actually the first beer brewed with fresh hops back in 1996. since then, wet hop ales have swept the american craft brewing movement by storm. there is an annual fresh hop ale festival held in washington state and even the brick store pub in atlanta started hosting a fall hop harvest festival with many fresh hop ales on tap.

there are various options for wet hop ales in the fall. i’ve never had a bad one, so don’t be afraid to try different breweries. keep your eye out for local brewery options as well, i know sweetwater started brewing one in atlanta last year.

sierra nevada also brews a tasty summertime fresh hop ale called southern hemisphere harvest. you can find this delicious treat in stores right now, i’m actually drinking one as i write this article! to brew such a style during the summertime, sierra nevada overnights fresh hops from new zealand during their fall harvest, which happens to be america’s springtime. thanks to their efforts, we can enjoy a fresh hoppy beer during our wet hot american summers.

– ryan

sierra nevada

1075 east 20th street
chico, ca 95928
530-893-3520

ps…this is our 50th blog post!!!