StormBreaker Brewing plans to release 12+ Fresh Hop beers this season

N. Portland, Oregon’s StormBreaker Brewing always goes hard in the green with the freshies, and 2022 will be no exception with atleast a dozen different Fresh Hop beers planned for release this season. The first of them - Handfuls of Fresh Hops - has already been released in 16oz cans and on, draft. That is just one of 8 that will be canned this year, with the remaining 4-5 poured on draft only.

What are Fresh Hop beers? These are limited seasonals timed to the annual north american hop harvest season which is the only time of the year where you can get fresh, undried, whole cone hops, straight off of the bines and unprocessed. Most hops are ground down and compressed into pellets to be refrigerated and stored to be used in beers over the entire year or more. Fresh hops are more resinous, green, grassy, and aromatic, but highly delicate and fragile, so they should be used in a beer within 24 hours of picking which is part of what makes them special and primarily only available in the hop growing regions of Oregon, Washington and Idaho. Fresh hop season runs September until early October, but breweries are jumping on the earliest hop varieties they can get these days in late August.

“We drive to the farm early in the morning come back and immediately put them into a tank and recirculate our beer over the fresh hops until we have determined we have gotten the appropriate flavors and aromas,” says StormBreaker Brewing co-owner Dan Malech about their process. So far it’s worked out pretty well, in 2020 the New School named them the fresh hop masters of that year.

2022 StormBreaker Fresh Hop Beer Release Schedule:

Handfuls of Fresh Hops (Nick) (Cans and Draft)

Release: Now! Fresh Hops: 3.75lbs per barrel of Goschie Farms grown Centennial hops

Based on the recent special edition of their Handfuls of Hops rotating IPA series, this Handfuls of Fresh Hops was a tribute to StormBreaker Brewing regular Nick. Nelson Sauvin, Idaho 7, Citra and Kohatu hops provide aromas of citrus, tropical fruit, and flavors of stone fruit, with hints of lime and pineapple in the base beer recipe prior to the fresh hopping. 7.0% 72 IBUs

Fresh Hop Safety Meeting (Cans and Draft)

Release: 8/24 Target Fresh Hops: Strata

This 2020 Oregon Beer Awards medal winner was the byproduct of a meeting that could have been an email. This single-hop pale is designed to showcase the complexities and nuances of individual hops. Please enjoy Safety Meeting, guaranteed to be more worthwhile than an actual safety meeting...5.3% ABV 32 IBUS

Fresh Hop Triple Double (draft only)

Release: 8/24 Target Fresh Hops: Simcoe

With ten hop additions of Mosaic, Citra, and Amarillo, this beer scores on your palate, rebounds in your nose with big aroma of grapefruit citrus and pineapple and is assisted by the punchy, juicy citrus flavor to make this a Rip City slam dunk. 8.5% ABV.

Fresh Hop Mississippi Red 1.0 (draft only)

Release: 8/26-8/29 Target Fresh Hops: Sabro

An homage to the street StormBreaker Brewing’s first location calls home, this usually Citra dry hopped Red gives the appearance of an IPA on the nose, with hops apparent on the palate, but balanced with caramel flavors for a smooth finish. Fresh hopped with Sabro’s for an extra tropical and woody note not founded in the regular edition. 5.8%ABV 58 IBUs

Fresh Hop What We Brew In The Shadows (Cans and Draft)

Release: 8/31 Target Fresh Hops: Lorien

StormBreaker’s references movie and hit comedy show What We Do In The Shadows with a New Zealand lager with some bite, hop bite that is. Nelson Sauvin, Southern Cross, and Wai-iti hops shine through in this tropical, citrus, and stone fruit expression. Premium German malts provide a smooth foundation for easy-going drinkability. Fresh hopped with Lorien which is said to be almost tangy rather than bitter. 4.9% ABV 28 IBUs

Fresh Hop Eagle Fang (Cans and Draft)

Release: 8/31 Target Fresh Hops: Simcoe, Sabro

StormBreaker designed this badass beer in homage to hit Netflix show Cobra Cai, and named this beer after the badass new spinoff team. Cobras may be strong, they may be the Kings of The Jungle, and there’s only one animal that can kill a snake…Welcome to Eagle Fang IPA, with fresh onion/orange Simcoe fresh hops, and the woody, coconut, pineapple notes of Sabro. 6.8% ABV 68 IBUs

Fresh Hop Ella Rose (Cans and Draft)

Release: 8/30-9/07 Target Fresh Hops: Luminosa (Brand New Hop Variety)

Named after baby Ella Rose, born August 30th 2017, brewed with her namesake hop, Ella. This Hazy IPA is double dry hopped with two 32 lbs hop additions, with rose petals in the kettl for delicate floral aromas that compliment the punchy flavors of grapefruit with aromas of citrus, tropical and dark fruit. The fresh hop version will be a showcase for the brand new Oregon developed variety Luminosa from Indie Hops. 6.13% ABV 61.3 IBUs

Fresh Hop An Unexpected Pint (Draft only)

Release: 9/02-9/05  Target Fresh Hops: TBD

We are going on an adventure! Fermentation character notes of cherry, pear and a touch of spice, blended perfectly with bright tropical, berry and citrus hop aromas and flavors. Unexpectedly delicious, with all the comforts of home. 6.7% ABV 48 IBU

Set Freshies To Haze (Cans and Draft)

Release: 9/09-9/14 Target Fresh Hops: Citra, Mosaic

The Fresh Hop is Strong in this one (Draft only)

Release: 9/09-9/13  Target Fresh Hops: TBD

Fresh Hop Hop It Don’t Drop It (Cans and Draft)

Release: 9/14 Target Fresh Hops: Mosaic (Cans and Draft)

Fresh Hop Mississippi Red 2.0 (Cans and Draft)

Release: 9/19 Target Fresh Hops: HBC 630

Mississippi Red gets not one, but two, fresh hop versions this year. This one with experimental and unnamed hop variety codenamed HBC 630.

StormBreaker head brewer/co-owner Rob Lutz