I picked up a 22-ounce bottle of Deschutes Brewery‘s Hop Trip this evening to try it out (I can’t believe I hadn’t blogged about this yet). It’s one of the brewery’s limited edition "Bond Street Brown" series, and it’s notable because it’s brewed with fresh picked hops. Lots of them.

It was quite good, and strong on the hops. They’re right there, up front, and stay with you throughout. Not only is it one of the hoppiest beers I’ve had, but you can really tell that the hops were brewed fresh—you can taste the green, resiny, grassy character, and you know what? It’s really good and refreshing.

The beer itself is a fairly standard, malty pale ale. It would hold up just fine on its own, I think, but who cares? The hops really make this beer.

I don’t know if it’s available anywhere else, though, you might only find it in Central Oregon. I’m thinking I should stock up before it’s gone.