Cranking out the fresh hop reviews slowly but surely! These three are all from Central Oregon breweries.

Three Creeks Brewing – Conelick’r Fresh Hop IPA

Three Creeks’ annual fresh hop IPA is brewed with fresh Centennial hops, and is always one I look forward to. It’s an award winner as well, and the website says:

Gold medal winner at the 2020 Great American Beer Festival in the Fresh Hop category, our annual fresh hop pale features 300 lbs of wet Centennial hops from BC Farms in Woodburn, Oregon. The hops go from farm to brew kettle in 4 hours. The abundance of hop resins create a spiciness, along with the classic orange-rind & floral notes of fresh Centennial hops.

It’s 6.8% ABV and no mention (or calculation) of IBUs.

Appearance: Copper colored, unfiltered, creamy white head.

Smell: Earthy-spicy nose, with lots of forest floor, and a bit of pine and grapefruit. Some orange marmalade, damp log. Pretty classic aroma profile for this beer.

Taste: Solid with a clean piney hop that gets a bit minty at the back; herbaceous and earthy, with a gentle spice flavor that calls out tobacco, yarrow, possibly rosemary. It’s good with solid malts and kind of basic, in a good way—think “back to basics” for west coast IPA.

Mouthfeel: Medium body, slightly minty character, firm.

Overall: Solid all around, a good IPA and a good fresh hop at the same time.

Wild Ride Brewing – Journey to a New Strata-Sphere Fresh Hop IPA

The mainstay fresh hop beer from Wild Ride in recent years is Journey, brewed with fresh Strata hops (obviously). This IPA is 6.3% ABV with 35 IBUs, and the brewery says:

Prepare to experience a flavorful journey that only takes place once a year! Fresh hops are not dried prior to being used in the brew which creates a unique flavor profile in this style of beer, including having a lower bitterness and an earthy profile. This beer uses Strata hops which create a sweet and citrus aroma with a taste of tropical fruit. Expect all of these flavors to be blended and balanced in this IPA, which will take you and your taste buds to a new stratosphere!

Appearance: Copper colored, bright, with good clarity. Fine white head.

Smell: Musky/sweaty, cantaloupe, clover, some lighter papaya notes. A hint of strawberry; meadow.

Taste: Nice big menthol-like kick with some catty character and bitter green melon. Fresh greens with a little bit of broccoli stem. Nice flavors, mellows out as it warms and has a solid bitterness.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied, clean, lingering bitterness.

Overall: It’s a nice one again.

Worthy Brewing – Strata Fresh Hops

Worthy was one of the earliest adopters of Strata hops, which were developed by Indie Hops (in large part because Worthy’s owner Roger Worthington is also co-founder of Indie Hops). So a Strata fresh hop is expected.

For this year’s beer, the description from Untappd says:

200 pounds of fresh Strata hops from Goschie farms anchor this year’s incredibly robust fresh hop. This IPA gushes with huge pineapple, passion fruit, and grapefruit flavor. The bursting dank, resinous aroma takes you directly to harvest day.

It’s 6% alcohol by volume with 45 IBUs.

Appearance: Bright golden copper, excellent clarity. Thick, lacy white head.

Smell: Melon rind, mild tomato plant, floral notes with a bit of orange, wildflowers. Mellow nose overall.

Taste: Big herbal bitterness with grass seed, tobacco spiciness, yarrow, maybe a touch of sage. Tasty and solid but not a lot of “fresh” character like I’d expect, though there is a bit of eucalyptus-like minty character at the back.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied, clean, dry finish.

Overall: Perfectly fine, but I want more “fresh” character.