I know here in November we’re pretty much over fresh hop season (though there are still beers available), but I have more notes on the ones I enjoyed this year. For all the pandemic limitations it was a decent year for fresh hop beers; I tried 25 different ones overall, though that might go up yet if I pick up some others. Here are quick reviews on three more from Block 15, Double Mountain, and Sunriver Brewing.

Fresh Catch Fresh-Hopped Pale Ale – Block 15 Brewing

Block 15 is always a strong contender when it comes to terrific hoppy ales, and Fresh Catch is no exception. The Untappd description reads:

A fresh-hopped pale ale brewed with Willamette Valley strata fresh hops that we picked up at the hop farm hours before adding them to a custom “hop back” tank, which we pumped hot wort through on its way to the fermenter, extracting vibrant notes of tropical fruit, ripe citrus, fresh berries.

Brewed with Strata hops, this pale ale is 5.75% ABV. The can I had was packaged on September 22, I drank it October 6. My notes:

Bronzed copper, moderately hazy, a decent fine head. Big fruity/sweaty Strata aroma, with citrus and green papaya present in big notes. Nice fresh, spicy punch in the flavor, bringing an herbal, savory light bitterness. Minty, spicy, almost a culinary character which works well. Green, pungent, fresh.

Killer Red – Double Mountain Brewery

Double Mountain’s fresh hop “Killer” beers are perennial favorites, though I only tried Killer Red so far this year. The Untapped description for this year’s vintage gives details and sourcing on the hops:

Fresh Hop IRA Centennial fresh hops from Crosby Hops in the Willamette Valley are picked, transported, and put into the brew within an hour and half. The exorbitant amount of fresh whole-leaf hops heaped into the kettle and hop back give this juiced up IRA wonderful ripe apple, juicy forest, and fruited pine flavors and aromas…with a hint of caramel.

This year’s vintage was, according to the bottle, 7% ABV with 85 IBUs. The beer was packaged on September 15, I drank it October 6. My notes:

Nutty red-amber, almost brown, creamy and lush off-white head with great lacing. Earthy, and dank, wet forest floor, and pine in the aroma. Same impressions go into the flavor, lots of foresty notes and there’s a deep fruitiness that’s dark and rich. Goes more malty than other typical fresh hop beers, naturally, but it’s a good nutty, grainy malt that’s clean and dry.

D’Kine Mosaic Fresh Hop IPA – Sunriver Brewing

Sunriver is always a Central Oregon local favorite for fresh hops, and though the lineup shuffled this year, D’Kine was back and made it into cans. The brewery says:

This IPA uses freshly harvested Mosaic hops, provided to us by our friends at Coleman Agriculture in St. Paul, OR. These unique “wet” hops provide layers of mango, citrus, blueberry and earthy-pine flavors.

It’s 6.5% ABV with 55 IBUs. There wasn’t any apparent packaging date on the can, which I drank on October 7. My notes:

Bright gold, decent clarity, good fluffy white head. Grassy, green, light cattiness which goes into a nicely floral, pollen-rich aroma. Similar character goes into the flavor, a really nice floral and grassy pop that is herbal and light and freshly green. Medium-light body with crisp malt and lightly spicy bitterness in the finish.