A Wet Hop Story: From Bine to Brew

A Wet Hop Story: From Bine to Brew

HOP HARVEST SEASON IS HERE

The leaves on the trees begin to change from green to fiery hues, dancing in the late summer breeze. As the gorgeous colors of the Pacific Northwest commemorate the transition into autumn, hop farmers are joined by brewers and beer lovers near and far to celebrate that hop harvest season is here. We are united in our reverence for the seasonal delight that is a wet-hop brew.

 

 

AS FRESH AS THEY COME

Wet hops are fresh hops still in their whole cone form. Because they are untouched by the production process (unlike the majority of dried hops used by brewers year-round), they are often much more aromatic and their high levels of oil and acidity result in bright and floral flavors.

Wet-hopped beers are made with fresh hops, harvested just hours before entering the brewing process. The result is a beer with pronounced hop flavors in which you can truly taste the terroir, as well as the uniqueness of that specific hop harvest.

 

FROM BINE TO BREW

Absolute Zero is a Cold IPA that we are releasing on draft September 16, 2021; it truly celebrates beer as an agricultural product. It showcases 70 pounds of wet, whole cone Strata hops from Indie Hops in Oregon, which were primely picked from the farm early in the morning on August 25, 2021, same-day shipped to us, and added to the beer later that afternoon.

 

(FOR THE BEER NERDS)

We added the wet hops in the beginning of fermentation by use of hop back—a sealable, strainer-like container that is used to infuse ingredients into the beer. This process would allow the yeast to absorb any oxygen present in the hops during the fermentation process (as opposed to dry hopping with them, which would introduce oxygen to the beer and therefore degrade the beer very quickly), while still transferring delicate hop oils and aromas that would otherwise boil off in the kettle. We also dry hopped it with an additional three pounds per barrel of Strata pellets for good measure.

 

COLD IPA: PERHAPS NOT WHAT YOU THINK

We all love a perfectly chilled IPA on a hot day. But a Cold IPA—a newer style that we are excited to embrace—is crisper than a traditional IPA. It’s an IPA brewed with pilsner malt and fermented cold with an ale yeast (usually a lighter ale yeast such as Kölsch or California Common). For Absolute Zero, we used Admiral Pilsner malt and an ale yeast, German in origin. We fermented the beer cold, reducing the production of fruity yeast character so that the hops stand out front and center. You can expect a lighter-bodied ale that is clean like a lager, but with the aromatics and hop bite of a West Coast IPA

 

ABSOLUTE ZERO

It’s a true farm-to-glass wet hop beer. This vibrant brew boasts a bouquet of aromas including ruby red grapefruit, ripe strawberry and a whole lot of dank that is unique to using the fresh whole cone. Flavors of pineapple, resin and lemongrass shine bright on the tongue. Only once a year can we produce fresh hop beers like this, so we hope you’re able to get a taste while it’s here!