In 1993 Charlie Palmer and I created a simple little event in his restaurant on East 22nd Street (Chefs & Cuisiniere Club) to promote Beaujolais Nouveau.  It was a way to mark the harvest and celebrate the French tradition of throwing back some simple fresh wine while we anticipated the journey of waiting a year or two for the good stuff to be released.

It wasn’t until 2007 that I realized brewers had a similar thing going on.  A way to mark the hop harvest, race back to the brewery from Yakima or the Willamette Valley, toss in some wet hops and brew a spontaneous batch of fresh hop beer.   The results a few years back were quite floral and, frankly, a little funky.

Today, we’re seeing brewers nationwide investing in hop fields and becoming more and more committed to exploring this unique time of year when fresh hops can add elements of brightness and seasoning that dry hops don’t offer.

But the even more exciting thing about the evolution of fresh hop brewing, in Oregon, particularly, is how sophisticated and experimental these brewers are becoming this time of year. Last weekend at the Portland  Fresh Hop Tastival I had some killer beers.  Here’s a few tasting notes and look for them around town, they’re delicious:

Top Pick:  Double Mountain Killer Green (Hops used = Brewers Gold)

Matt decided to run with the concept of hoppy flavor and this beer had a very pleasant hop intensity that was mostly noticeable mid palate, which was unusual.  The hoppiness wasn’t a top note, it was somehow fully integrated and was rounder.  Extremely clean finish, very drinkable.

BridgePort Brewing, (Hops used = Centennial) extremely refreshing, well balanced, good beer.

Upright Brewing (Hops used = Magnum) Sometimes I find the Upright beers, ahem, a little out there.  They did a really nice job with this beer, in my opinion.  It’s a true Saison, with hints of fresh hop character.  Lovely beer.

In case you weren’t able to make it to the festival and want to get in on the action, check out Joe Smith’s Live @ 7 piece for KGW: http://www.kgw.com/thesquare/Fresh-Hop–131371783.html

For more Oregon Brewers Guild events visit their website: http://oregonbeer.org/category/events/

This week I am very excited to share a wonderful fresh hop beer story from The New York Times that was written by Lucy Burningham, one of our favorite local freelance friends.  Over the past few years, Lucy has switched beats from general lifestyle and travel to emerge as a leading freelance beer writer, with pieces appearing in Beer Northwest, Northwest Palate, and of course, The New York Times.

“A Hop and a Sip to Fresh Ales,” discusses fresh hop beers and what makes them so special, including their distinctive bitterness and citrus flavors.  Given the number of Oregon breweries that are located in such close proximity to hop farms and are producing fresh hop beers, one could argue that the Oregon brewing industry has taken a clear lead in these once-a-year brews.

As public relations partners with the Oregon Brewer’s Guild, we’ve long been fans and supporters of fresh hop beers, hosting numerous media tours of hop farms and conducting large scale samples mailings to media outlets, so it’s especially exciting to see this style – and the Oregon brewers who are at the heart of the trend – get some richly deserved recognition.

Get them while they last!

Sara Perry of the Oregonian interviewed Oregon Brewers Guild President Van Havig for a Q & A column on fresh hop beers. Get your lesson on fresh hops by reading the full article below.

I love this time of year… Halloween and Fresh Hop Beers! It’s times like this that I count my blessings for living in the Northwest. While people everywhere will celebrate Halloween this week, there isn’t another region of the country where you can get the fresh hop experience, and even if you live here you’d better move fast – they only last a few weeks. In order to seize the moment, we did a LAD taste-test of two Oregon fresh hop brews: Deschutes Hop Trip and Rogue Independence. Both were delicious but very different in style. Here’s a recap of our tasting notes, and since we’re so close to Halloween we’ve given the beers their own costume equivalents.

Festive Fresh Hop Beer

Deschutes Hop Trip / Jack Skellington: Sophisticated, fresh, fruity and smells like a hop farm. This beer was layered with a bright nose and dry palate that evaporates off the tongue leaving you curious for more. Herbal without the intense bitterness, it would be the hit of Halloween Town.

Rogue Independence / A Pirate : Dominant, intense, bitter and might knock you over the head. Simple, but tried and true and always fun. This beer had more hop intensity, with rich malt and caramel flavors. The quintessential hop lover’s beer with a big pop. Get ready to walk the plank, matey…. arrggh.