We are now a few weeks into the 2023 hop harvest, with a solid showing of fresh hop beers already on the market but much more to come, including the 17-day Fresh Hop Pop-Up Beer Fest, the Portland Fresh Hop Fest, and the Hood River Hops Fest all still a week or more away. The latest news is from Portland, Oregon’s Gigantic Brewing and Ecliptic Brewing, both announcing multiple fresh hop beer releases.

Ecliptic Brewing 2023 Fresh Hops:

Ecliptic Brewing will release two favorites; Altair Fresh Hop IPA and Astro Fresh Hop Italian-style Pilsner. Both beers are expected to ship mid-September.

Altair Fresh Hop IPA, which comes in a 16-ounce can and draft, is brewed with fresh Strata and Centennial hops from Roy Farms, as well as regular Strata and Centennial. Astro Fresh Hop Italian-style Pilsner is a draft-only option, brewed with fresh McKenzie hops coming from B&D Farms. Regular Sterling and McKenzie are also included.

Says John Harris, Ecliptic’s Owner and Brewmaster,” This is the best time of year. We love brewing with fresh hops and are so lucky to have hop fields less than an hour away from us.”

Altair Fresh Hop IPA

The brightest star in the constellation Aquila, Altair uses fresh Strata and Centennial to celebrate the annual hop harvest. ABV 6.5% IBU 50

Astro Fresh Hop Italian-style Pilsner

Astro, originating from the Greek word for star, shines with fresh McKenzie hops. A crisp, clean lager to celebrate the annual hop harvest. ABV 5.5% IBU 35

Gigantic Brewing Fresh Hops 2023

“The brewing calendar really revolves around this period in late August through September when the hop harvest comes in. Germany may have Octoberfest, but Oregon has fresh hop season, and these beers are the way in which we at Gigantic celebrate the seasonality of our craft and our relationship to the farmers upon which we rely,” opines Gigantic Masterbrewer Van Havig. 

There is no “right” way to make fresh hop beers according to Gigantic Brewing, but their method relies upon their brew house which is designed to use whole hop flowers. All of Gigantic’s fresh hop beers use whole cone undried hops at no more than 1.25 hours from the field to the brewery.  They are all loaded straight into their hop back - 200 to 300 lbs for 15 barrels of beer - where the hot wort extracts all of their delicate, delicious oils. 

Sodbusted XI: The Book of Simcoe Fett - Fresh Hop IPA: 6.2% ABV, made with 20lbs/BBL of Doug Weather’s finest fresh Simcoe hops from Sodbuster Farms in Keizer, OR. Continuing our 11 year partnership with Sodbuster Farms, we always wait for them to pick the best of the Simcoe hops to make this beer. Simcoe is loaded with grapefruit and piney punchy hop aromas and it works really great in our system and the way we make fresh hop beers. Some things are a classic because they’re good. Packaging September 7th and available that day in bottle and draft at the Brewery, Hawthorne Pub, and Robot Room. Look for it in the Portland area the following week. 

Strata Fresh Hop Hazy IPA aka “So Fresh”: 6.2% ABV, made with 14lbs/BBL of Gayle Goschie’s finest fresh Strata hops. Strata is THE Oregon hop - we love it for its punchy, juicy, passionfruit flavors and how it lends itself to the hazy style. This makes it perfect to showcase in a fresh hop hazy beer. Packaging September 8th and available that day  in bottle and draft at the Brewery, Hawthorne Pub, and Robot Room. Look for it in the Portland area the following week. 

Fresh Hop Pilsner: 5.2% ABV, made with 14lbs/BBL of Gayle Goschie’s finest fresh Tettnanger hops. Enjoy soft, bready malt characteristics, noticeable floral notes, and a spicy wet hop character. The Germans wish they could make a beer like this. Packaging September 11th and available that day in bottle and draft at the Brewery, Hawthorne Pub, and Robot Room.. Look for it in the Portland area later that week. 

Freshtoberfresh Fresh Hop Oktoberfest Lager: 5.8% ABV, made with 14lbs/BBL of Gayle Goschie’s finest fresh Willamette hops. This traditional Oktoberfest style beer has rich bready and malty flavors counterpointed with bright fruity and spicy hop notes, making it a uniquely Oregonian take on the classic seasonal German beer. Packaging September 25th to mark the end of the harvest season and Oktoberfest.  Available on draft at the Brewery, Hawthorne Pub, and Robot Room on September 25th. Look for it in the Portland area later in the week.