When I received the bottle of Ring My Bell Fresh Hop Cryo IPA, the collaboration beer from Double Mountain Brewery and Solera Brewery, the “Fresh Hop” portion of that name threw me for a minute (since it was just beginning to plausibly be fresh hop season).

As it happens, these are fresh hops harvested previously and flash frozen with liquid nitrogen, then processed as Cryo Hops,

removing much of the vegetal matter and leaving behind a sticky, bright green pellet. Since they have not been kilned, there is still moisture and some good greenness left. The effect is a “fresh hop” cryo pellet, exhibiting some of the same aromas and flavors of a fresh hop, any time of year. They’re kept frozen until use.

It’s an interesting application of the technology, but it’s really not the same as the fresh hop beers we see during harvest season (i.e., right now), using undried whole cone hop flowers right off the bines.

This collaboration beer uses Yakima Chief Hops’ experimental Trial 301 hops for this, and brewed as a showcase for the hop. It’s 6.6% ABV with 55 IBUs, available in bottles and on draft, and let’s see how it drinks.

Appearance: Hazy golden-orange color, with a big and lacy white head.

Smell: Citrus rind and peel, sweaty/catty notes, melon rind, wet pine, earthy/forest floor. It’s not vibrant like typical fresh hop ales made with just-picked hops, but it’s definitely fragrant. (Jeff Alworth aptly describes this vibrancy as “essential oil.”)

Taste: Sticky and resiny with earthy green fruits, pine, citrus, fresh herbs, menthol/eucalyptus, good flavors all around. Good level of bitterness that stays with you throughout the glass. Fruit rind, foresty, there’s a nice maltiness that has some cracker and scone character.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied, with a lingering herbal/minty note.

Overall: Nice and tasty and quite good. But is it “fresh” particularly as we’re now enjoying the seasonal fresh hop beers from just-harvested hops?

To answer that question, it’s not, but it’s a good beer, and we’re starting to see others coming out using this “fresh” Cryo Hop technology. More to come on that, I’m sure.