September is Fresh Hop season at Fort George Brewery, and the Astoria brewery is putting nearly 11,000 pounds of freshly harvested hops from regional farms into 10 beers scheduled for release throughout September and potentially into October.
“September is Fresh Hop season at Fort George. We live in a land of plenty. Few are so lucky,” the brewery said in a release. “Plenty of water, plenty of trees, plenty of renewable energy, plenty of small farms and, most importantly, plenty of hops.”
The brewery indicated that tens of thousands of acres of hops are growing within a day’s drive of Astoria, allowing its team to travel to hop farms on harvest day, collect the hops and return to the brewery in time to use them in production.
“We can head out from the brewery on harvest day to pick up the hops we want and be back in time to throw them in the hop back for a brew. That’s what we’ve been doing all month,” they said.
Fort George said its approach to Fresh Hop brewing focuses on maximizing flavor while maintaining balance and stability throughout the season.
“We’re serious about hops and we’re serious about making beer that is as Fresh as possible, while being delicious, balanced, and stable enough so that you can keep drinking it all season long,” the brewery said. “We hop our beers on the hot side for better flavor extraction and this year we added a pair of Hop Shredders to the brewery floor.”
The brewery said the new equipment — named BeBop and Rock Steady — shreds fresh hops and, for some beers, uses liquid nitrogen to freeze the hops before they are broken apart. According to Fort George, the process increases the amount of lupulin exposed to wort during the whirlpool process, helping boost both flavor extraction and production yields.
The Fresh Hop lineup includes collaborations with Ruse, Ghost Town, Kings and Daughters, and Meanwhile , along with fresh hop versions of established Fort George beers.
Among the releases is Fresh Hop Cavatica, a draft-only version of the brewery’s year-round Cavatica Stout made with Fresh Cascade hops from Mauka Living Farms. The lineup also includes Thunder Blanket, a barrel-aged barleywine made with Fresh Chinook hops from Coleman Farms and released in 500ml bottles and on draft.
Other beers include Fresh Hop Mirrored Realities, a West Coast IPA featuring 500 pounds of Fresh Strata hops from Coleman Farms; Quality of Consciousness, a Fresh Hop Hazy IPA collaboration with Ruse; and Simcoe Architect, a Fresh Hop West Coast IPA collaboration with Ghost Town Brewing.
The brewery also plans to release Fresh Hop Glass Daggers, a draft-only West Coast Pale Ale collaboration with Kings and Daughters; its annual Fresh IPA, brewed with Fresh Columbus hops from Sauve & Sons Farms in Yakima; and CoHoperative Ale, a draft-only Fresh Hop Ale made with locally grown and community-sourced hops harvested and processed with members of the Astoria community.
Additional releases include Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch, a Fresh Hop West Coast IPA collaboration with Meanwhile Brewing Co. featuring Fresh Mosaic hops from Coleman Farms, and Fresh Hop Fields of Green, a Fresh Hop Hazy IPA brewed with Fresh Vista hops from McKay Farms in Independence, Oregon.
Fort George said all Fresh Hop beers will be released at its pub within 24 hours of packaging.
“For Fresh Hop beers, it doesn’t get any fresher than Fort George,” the brewery said.
The brewery’s release schedule may extend into October depending on hop harvest timing and brewing dates.
Fort George Fresh Hop Releases
- Fresh Hop Cavatica — Fresh Cascade Hops from Mauka Living Farms; draft only.
- Fresh Hop Mirrored Realities — Fresh Strata Hops from Coleman Farms; 16-ounce cans and draft.
- Thunder Blanket — Fresh Hop Barrel-Aged Barleywine with Fresh Chinook Hops from Coleman Farms; 500ml bottles and draft.
- Quality of Consciousness — Fresh Hop Hazy IPA collaboration with Ruse Brewing; Fresh Mosaic hops from Coleman Farms; 16-ounce cans and draft.
- Simcoe Architect — Fresh Hop West Coast IPA with Fresh Simcoe Hops from Coleman Farms; collaboration with Ghost Town Brewing; 16-ounce cans and draft.
- Fresh Hop Glass Daggers — Fresh Hop West Coast Pale Ale with Fresh Chinook Hops from Coleman Farms; collaboration with Kings and Daughters; draft only.
- Fresh IPA — Fresh Hop West Coast IPA with Fresh Columbus Hops from Sauve & Sons Farms; 16-ounce cans and draft.
- CoHoperative Ale — Fresh Hop Ale made with locally grown, hand-harvested and community-sourced hops; draft only.
- Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch — Fresh Hop West Coast IPA with Fresh Mosaic Hops from Coleman Farms; collaboration with Meanwhile Brewing Co.; 16-ounce cans and draft.
- Fresh Hop Fields of Green — Fresh Hop Hazy IPA with Fresh Vista Hops from McKay Farms; 16-ounce cans and draft.
Fort George noted that individual release dates may vary depending on the timing of the hop harvest.
