Save the Date: Fresh Hop Throwdown Returns to The Noble Fir on October 5

August 6th, 2013 · 2 Comments · Events, Oregon Breweries, Washington Breweries

Fresh Hop Throwdown in 2011. Thanks to +Russ for the pic.

If you are a fan of fresh hop beers and live in Seattle, you won’t want to miss the 3rd Annual Fresh Hop Throwdown at The Noble Fir in Ballard on Saturday, October 5. There are always a lot of fresh hop beers floating around during September and October, and some of us do everything we can to try as many different examples as possible. I’ll be working with Rick Weersing and Ellen Kelly of The Noble Fir to put together a lineup of about 16 different fresh hop beers that will all be available when the bar opens at 4pm. There will also be a private blind judging of the lineup earlier in the day and the winning brewery will be announced later at the event. At last year’s event, the North Sound Brewing Hopsolute IPA took top honors, with Snipes Mountain Brewery New Sheriff, Bainbridge Island Brewing Locabore and Anacortes Fresh Hop Pale Ale following in the rankings. A writeup of last year’s event, along with the beer list, is available here. I’ll post a list for this year’s event when we get closer.

If you are new to fresh hop beers, this is a great event to introduce you to them. What is a fresh hop beer? Most of the annual crop is processed into dried hops that store well and will last throughout the year. Before hops are dried, they are known as “fresh hops” or “wet hops”. When beer is brewed with these fresh hops straight off the vine (or “bine” if you prefer), it can impart a very unique flavor profile vs. the use of typical dried hops. Fresh hops can impart a fresh, green, earthy hop taste, and they can really enhance the aroma of a beer. Some fresh hop beers are brewed exclusively with wet hops, while others are brewed with a combination of wet and dry hops. In addition to finding fresh hop beers on draft, you’ll be able to find bottled fresh hop beers from Sep to Nov.

If anyone has questions about the event, feel free to send me an email.

Tags: ·

2 Comments so far ↓

  • Chris

    Why did everyone choose the same weekend to have events? Elysian’s pumpkin fest is October 4, 5, and 6. Yakima’s fresh hop festival is October 5th and now Nobel fir is having this October 5th? I went to all three events last year and now must decide….F

  • Kaiser

    Yep – we were thinking the same thing. So, we’ve moved the Fresh Hop Throwdown back a week to October 12!

Leave a Comment