My latest print article for The Bulletin (published last week) is my annual fresh hop roundup—or rather, because there are so many fresh hop beers being released and I have limited space in the article, a look at a handful fresh hop beers to get an idea of what to expect this season. This year’s edition highlights some of the ones coming from Sunriver Brewing, Boss Rambler Beer Club, and Crux Fermentation Project.

Sunriver Brewing Company promises “more Fresh Hop beers this year than any other previous season” and the first to hit the market was Fresh Hop Vicious Mosquito IPA. This year’s edition of Fresh Hop Vicious was brewed with Centennial CGX Fresh Hops, a new cryogenic product from Crosby Hops.

It involves flash-freezing the hops at the time of harvest, which locks in their flavors and compounds; it’s similar to the nitrogen freezing technique that Boss Rambler Beer Club started working with last year.

Fresh Hop Vicious is one of my gold standard fresh hop beers, and this year’s meets that expectation. The fresh character shines through with a minty pop of pine greens, bergamot, and a touch of wintergreen.

There are of course many, many more fresh hop beers out now from nearly every Central Oregon brewery, and I’ve also enjoyed some from Bevel Craft Brewing, Wild Ride Brewing, Worthy Brewing, GoodLife Brewing, and more. It’s the best time of the year!