Photo thanks to +Russ

First thing first, in case you didn’t realize it, the date for the 2013 Fresh Hop Throwdown at The Noble fir is set for October 12. The original date was on October 5, but we moved it to not coincide with the Yakima Fresh Hop Fest, as well as the Elysian Pumpkin Beer Fest.

The lineup is coming together nicely for the event, with 14 breweries and 1 cidery confirmed. We’ll be confirming 3 more Oregon breweries to the lineup shortly. 

Here is the list of confirmed breweries for the event:

Washington Breweries
Bainbridge Brewing
Big Al Brewing
Elliott Bay
Fremont Brewing
North Sound Brewing
Silver City
Snipes Brewing
Tieton Cider Works
Two Beers Brewing

Oregon Breweries
Double Mountain
Fort George
Laurelwood Brewing
Ninkasi
Pelican Brewing
pFriem Family Brewers

As a reminder, these will all be on tap when the doors open at 4pm. There is no charge for entrance, just pay-as-you-go pricing. There will be a blind judging of the lineup earlier in the day, and the winning beers will be revealed 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 the actual beers each brewery will be bringing as 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.