Yes, you’re getting inundated with fresh hop news right now because that’s the season and I’m getting caught up! Right now, the Portland Fresh Hop Pop-Up Beer Fest is taking place (concurrent with the dates of Oktoberfest, actually, which is fitting), and it’s an outdoor beer garden setting, which helps alleviate some covid fears.*

Since I’m late posting this, I won’t list the full schedule that was included with the press release, but will pick up from today (September 24).

Oregon’s freshest Fresh Hop event kicks off the seasonal hop harvest celebrations with 17 straight days of fun September 17 – October 3rd from 8am – 10pm. The 6th annual Portland Fresh Hop Pop-Up Beer Fest has yet to miss a year, and this will be the largest lineup of beers so far.

More of a beer garden than a beer fest, the Fresh Hop Pop-Up has the enviable position on the calendar to showcase fresh hop beers at their freshest points. With 10 constantly rotating taps, the Pop-Up beer garden is able to feature more breweries, hop varieties, and regions than other fresh hop events. Throughout the 17 day pop-up there are days devoted to popular breweries like Fort George, Breakside, pFriem and Ruse, as well as the fresh hop beers of Portland, Bend, Washington, and the Gorge.

It also boasts an outdoor, open air, heated and covered venue at Portland’s best food cart pod the Prost! Marketplace. Originally founded in the parking lot of the late lamented Burnside Brewing Co., the Fresh Hop Pop-Up relocated to Prost! Marketplace in 2019 and reaps the benefits of the communal environment. The beer garden/marketplace features ten food trucks with all-stars like Matt’s BBQ and Little Conejo tacos, plus vegan fusion options from the Native Bowl, just to name a few.

Fresh Hop beers are made only once a year when the annual hop harvest takes place during the seasonal transition of summer into fall. Hops are cone-like flowers that impart beer with bitterness, flavor and aroma. Most hops are dried and pelletized for use year-round, but fresh hops are those whole unprocessed cones, still sticky with lupulin, with extra splashes of floral flavors and effervescence. Oregon and Washington grow the majority of hops in the United States and thus have access to fresh hops that are typically used within just hours of harvest.

The Fresh Hop Pop-Up Beer Fest is an all-day 8am – 10pm affair with plenty of reasons to come back to for repeat visits over 9/17 – 10/3 to experience the best Washington and Oregon has to offer. All beers will be offered in 10oz or 16oz pours, and growler fills or mason jar priced to take home. No cover charge or tickets necessary. Prost! Marketplace is also all-ages friendly on a covered, outdoor, elevated deck that has been called Portland’s “top food cart pod” by The Oregonian.

Schedule

Fri. – Sun. 9/24-26 – Fresh Oktoberfest
Prost! Will be celebrating their Oktoberfest indoors this year, but outdoors the Bloodbuzz bar will be featuring special tappings of fresh hop lagers and fest biers.

Tuesday 9/28 – pFriem & Gorge friends Fresh Hop Night
pFriem Family Brewers will debut 2 fresh hop beers as they are joined by fellow breweries of the Columbia River Gorge: Everybody’s Brewing and Ferment Brewing.

Wednesday 9/29 – Ruse Fresh Hop Night
Portland favorites Ruse Brewing will be in the house with 5 fresh hop beers.

Friday 10/1 – Washington Fresh Hop Night
Reuben’s Brews, Bale Breaker Brewing, Fremont Brewing, Stoup Brewing, Wander Brewing and Silver City Brewing fresh hop beers.

Sunday 10/3 – Closing Fresh Hop Specials
Help us kill the remaining beers with pints on premise and discounted growler and mason jar fills to-go.

ABOUT:
The Fresh Hop Pop-Up Beer Fest is all-ages and opens at 8am, 7-days a week and closes at 10pm. No cover charge or tickets, beers individually priced. Food available from the local on-site food trucks. Beer lists subject to change, follow us on facebook or twitter or instagram at freshhopfest for updates. The Fresh Hop Pop-Up Beer Fest is presented by Portland Beer Week, Prost and Bloodbuzz.

WHAT: Fresh Hop Pop-Up Beer Fest
WHEN: September 17-October 3rd, 2021
WHERE: Prost! Marketplace and Bloodbuzz, 4237 N Mississippi Ave, Portland, OR 97217
COST: Free entry, pay-as-you-go
FOLLOW: https://www.facebook.com/FreshHopPopUpFest/ and https://www.instagram.com/freshhopfest/ and website http://fresh-hops.com/

*A note about COVID-19 and beer (or any) events. There’s still a pandemic on, cases are still high, and there are too many unvaccinated people out there that I personally will not be attending any in-person events for the foreseeable future. More than that, I will not write about or otherwise endorse beer events that don’t have a reasonable, safe COVID-19 policy in effect.

To that end, the FAQ of the Pop-Up Fest site says:

What are your safety policies regarding COVID-19?
This event is safely held outdoors and following all current COVID-19 state and federal guidelines. We ask attendees to be spaced and where masks when not eating or drinking or in close contact with others.

To be honest, this is the minimal stance any locale/event should take, and I would much prefer to see a stronger one that this, such as requiring proof of vaccination. If you attend, my advice would be to keep your mask on even if you’re sitting down “drinking” — you don’t need it off between sips. And maintain spacing at all times.