Here’s the final installment in my fresh hop beer mini-reviews for this year. It certainly wasn’t the year any of us expected, but we made the most of it and I still managed to enjoy two dozen fresh hop beers. This final roundup sees beers from Seattle and Eugene.

Field to Ferment Fresh Hop Ale – Fremont Brewing

Fremont’s fresh hop beers are always ones to look forward to. Most years the Seattle brewery releases multiple hop variants of its Field to Ferment series, but this year there was just the one, brewed with fresh Centennial and Sabro hops. The description reads:

Brewing is the craft of blending science with artistry then introducing the mystical. Field to Ferment exemplifies this adventure and represents a colossal collaboration between the brewery and our hop farmers. Nothing is fresher, nothing is better for a brewer. So, please do enjoy this beer absolutely fresh, and enjoy the adventure this beer represents…Because Fresh Hop Beer Matters!

Field to Ferment is 6% ABV and 50 IBUs. The can I had was packaged on September 16, I drank it on October 19. My notes:

Nice golden color, some haze, a nice white head. Aroma is full of lupulin, like fresh-picked hops rubbed in your hands. Some tropical fruit notes (pineapple) and a touch of spiciness in the aroma. Big spicy herbal flavor that’s minty and peppery, full of mustard greens and dandelion and resin. Really enjoyed it.

Fresh Hop Double Crush IPA – Reuben’s Brews

This is a fresh hop version of Reuben’s Double Crush, an imperial hazy IPA, and while the can simply said “Yakima Valley hops” the website indicates that Citra is the fresh hop variety. No real description available other than that, the beer is 8% ABV with 60 IBUs. It was canned on September 23, and I drank it October 20. My notes:

Quite a classic hazy appearance, opaque, dirty fruit juice color, white head. Similar “classic” aroma—fruity, with some allium and catty notes, but not terrible “fresh hop” to my notes because of it. Good flavors with some spicy fresh greens, some papaya and gentle allium notes. It’s a tasty hazy but not too “fresh hoppy.”

Hop Harvest Fresh Hop Hazy IPA – Oakshire Brewing

Eugene’s Oakshire offers up its fresh hop hazy with Hop Harvest, brewed with “Willamette Valley hops” according to the can but not specific; the website does say Simcoe and Amarillo hops. It’s an easy-drinking IPA at 6.5% ABV; canned on September 28, I drank it on October 20. My notes:

Pale golden color and hazy with a glow; fine white head. Fruity nose and sweaty/lightly catty, with orange marmalade, pineapple juice, tomato plant aromas. Nice flavor with a mellow, low-key hop spice that’s gently green and pleasant, lightly minty, and a touch of menthol-fresh character.