Because you know we can’t get enough of fresh hops right now, my latest article for The Bulletin this week is on the topic as well: Fall is fresh hop season.

Late summer and early fall is one of my favorite times of the year, because it means the arrival of fresh hop beers. The annual hop harvest begins in August and proceeds through early October. During this narrow window of time, breweries take advantage of the availability of fresh, unkilned hops to craft these special beers.

On brew day, a brewer races to the hop farm to collect the freshest hops available to add to a beer already in progress. Once harvested, hops begin to degrade quickly, and need to be used within 24 hours; most are added within a fraction of that time.

“Fresh Hop season is my favorite time of the year, it’s a lot of work for us logistically but is really rewarding after a long summer to reconnect with the farmers and remind myself why I love brewing,” said Zach Beckwith, Bend Brewing Company’s head brewer, via email.

More at the link, with additional quotes from Beckwith and others, and I cover three different beers (each with a different hop variety). And there will be more this next week as well—stay tuned!