Fresh Hop Season Begins in Oregon
The North American 2026 hop harvest has started in Oregon and farmers say this year’s crop is promising. Fresh Hop beers will soon hit the taps and get packaged up in cans for distribution - this is when you can expect them to arrive.
Farm workers have sharpened their machetes and fueled up their bottomcutters to begin cutting the base of the suspended growing lines to make way for topcutter tractors and trucks to load up the 10ft bines bursting with hop flowers. Then the hop picker heavy machinery gets to work, stripping the hop cones from the leaves with a series of fans and dribble belts that shake out the excess parts of the plant for composting. Most of the still “wet” hop cones then go to drying beds before they get baled or pelletized. But here in Oregon (and a few other parts of the world) most breweries intervene in the process to collect undried hops for use in seasonal fresh hop brews that attempt to capture the potent but fragile lupulin oils and aromas during a very brief window before they begin to dry out and oxidize or mold.
Fresh Hop beers are made almost exclusively in the Pacific Northwest where the hop growing industry of the United States is concentrated in Washington, Oregon and Idaho, and only rivaled by the hop growing region of Germany. Since the long accepted standard for brewing with fresh picked hops is 24 hours from bine to brew, most breweries don’t even have an opportunity to make fresh hop beers. However, with the more recent advancements and obsession with hop utilization via proprietary breeding and extraction technology have meant the latest hop crops are more available in processed cryogenically frozen or extracted forms that can be used and shipped over extended periods. Still, the true fresh hop beers using undried whole cone hops are the gold standard and probably no one in the world takes more advantage of that limited access than Oregon breweries.
The hop harvest got started in Oregon this week at a few select growers like Goschie Farms, with additional farms like Coleman Agriculture and Crosby Hops beginning next week ahead of the rest of the world.
Many of Oregon’s signature hop varieties such as Strata and Centennial are ready to be picked early which means our harvest gets started roughly 2 weeks before Washington’s. Specific hops like Tettnang and Willamette will also show up early from Oregon farms, followed by Simcoe, and Lorien, later Cascade, Sterling, Amarillo, etc. Many of the trendier or newer developed hops like Citra, Mosaic, Krush, and Thora, won’t even be picked until mid September which means fresh hop beers will still be getting released until the first week of October.
StormBreaker Brewing
First fresh hop beer drops Friday August 14th
StormBreaker Brewing is one of the most prolific brewers of fresh hop beers, almost always dropping double digit numbers and winning a medal or two along the way. So far they have 8 releases planned this year, but brewer/co-owner Rob Lutz says “The number we do always seems to surpass what we plan, but this is what we have for now.”
StormBreaker gets their Fresh hop beers releases rolling this Friday August 14th with Fresh Hop Total ReKolsch with a boost of fresh Centennial hops from Goschie Farms.
Next Tuesday or Wednesday will mark the second Stormbreaker fresh hop release with ‘Handfuls of Fresh Hops’ featuring Centennial hops on August 18th or 19th. Next up: FH Safety Meeting IPA w/ fresh Strata (ETA 08/25-08/29), FH StormBreaker IPA w/ fresh hop TBD (ETA 08/27-09/05), The Fresh Hop Is Strong With This One w/ fresh hop TBD (ETA 8/27-9/5), Fresh Hop Oregon IPA w/ fresh hop TBD (ETA 8/27-9/11), and Set Freshies To Haze w/ fresh hop TBD (ETA 8/31-9/11)
Level Beer
First fresh hops drop August 14th or 15th!
Portland’s purveyors of retro gaming themed and socially conscious northwest ales and lagers are always the first to pour freshies. Level Beer is coming out of the gate hot with three different fresh hop beers dropping this weekend and up to 13 total (including one fresh hop water.) Level Beer adds all of their fresh hops on the cold side to get them out early.
Fresh Hop Game On! American IPA, West Coast IPA, and an Oktoberfest, are all getting the fresh hop treatment and released in 16oz cans and on-draft. Which fresh hop varieties will be used in each was unclear at the time of publishing, but we hear the Fuggle, Tettnang, and Centennial were picking from Goschie farms yesterday…
Both the Level Beer fresh hop IPAs have some Crosby CGX Nuvo hops in both the whirlpool and the dry-hop on the hot side of the Brew. The fresh hops from Goschie Farms are added on the cold side for a real fresh and aromatic finish.
Also coming from Level Beer but undated with fresh hop varieties TBD:
FH Press Pause Pale Ale - Fresh hops in hop back and cold side.
FH Daylight Cravings CDA - Fresh hops cold side.
FH Roadkill Red - Fresh hops cold side.
FH Stay Gold Ponyboy - Golden/ Summer Ale - Fresh hop cold side.
FH Hazy IPA (TBD) - may or may not happen.
FH Pilsner/ Lager (TBD) - may or may not happen.
FH Collab with Crosby and Loyal Legion (TBD)
FH Collab with Roy Farms/ Crosby Farms (TBD)
FH Jay-Z Goes Fresh WC IPA “We brew a Fresh hop beer with our long time regular Jay. This one we've been doing CGX Nuvo in the boil, fresh hops in the hop back and more CGX Nuvo in the dry hop, and maybe some cold side as well,” says Level Beer co-owner/brewer Shane Watterson.
FH Level Clear (Fresh Hop Water” - “We made some last year and it was delicious!” says Watterson.
Occidental Brewing
First fresh hop beers drops August 19th
Occidental Brewing and their fresh hop Pilsner reliably kickoff the season each year and is a beloved favorite. This year is no different, but they are also adding some new fresh hop beers into the mix. Occidental brews all of their fresh hops cold-side, meaning the beer is already fermented out by the time the fresh hops are added. They also use the “weed whacker” approach to processing fresh hops, this method of chopping up the fresh hops to unlock the oil and lupulin glands is an increasingly popular technique.
Occidental’s Fresh Hop Pilsner using Tettnang fresh hops from Goschie Farms will be released at the brewery’s taproom in St. Johns neighborhood of N. Portland on August 19th. Their distributor, Maletis Beverage, will also be picking up draft and 16oz cans that same day and the beer should hit beer bars and bottle shops over the course of that week.
Next up will be a new one for Occidental - Fresh Hop Kolsch with Hallertau fresh hops from Goschie Farms. This will be available at the Occidental taproom on August 26th, with Maletis Beverage also bringing this one out to market the following days/week.
Last but not least is Fresh Hop Occidental IPA dropping on August 27th. Occidental Brewing began broadening their horizons outside of strictly German beers in early 2025 and last Fall debuted a fresh hop IPA. This year they are using Centennial hops from Crosby.
Zoiglhaus Brewery + Norte Brewing and Spotlight Brewing
First fresh hop beers drops August 28th
Zoiglhaus Brewery is always among the first to drop fresh hop beers, and consistently they are award winners too.
Fresh Hop Zoigl-Kolsch kicks things off on August 28th, arriving slightly late compared to the usual mid-August drop date. This Oregon Beer Awards silver and bronze medal winner is brewed just like in Cologne with all-German ingredients, then fermented slow and cool with an authentic Kölsch yeast strain brought back from brewer/ owner Alan Taylor’s studies in Germany. Fresh Hop Zoigl-Kölsch is the standard base beer but with 300 lbs of fresh, local Tettnanger hops added in the whirlpool. 4.8% abv 16oz cans and kegs are available now for pre-order.
Following FH Kolsch, Zoiglhaus has a new beer - Fresh Hop Cold IPA - dropping September 4th.This might be Zoiglhaus first ever take on the Cold IPA-style beer, which is essentially a West Coast IPA that uses rice to lighten the body and add a crispness, and fermented with a lager years instead of an ale yeast. Zoiglhaus FH Cold IPA is brewed with fresh harvested Centennial hops from Goschie Farms. The 7% abv beer drops in 16oz cans and kegs on September 4th.
September 11th is a big drop date for Zoiglhaus and their sister brands Spotlight Brewing, and Norte Brewing (new taproom opening soon.) Zoiglhaus big award-winner Oktoberfresh (OBA gold medal winner) fresh hop Oktoberfest lager fresh hopped with Hallertauer will be released in cans and draft. The same day will see the release of Spotlight Brewing’s 7% abv Fresh Hop West Coast IPA focusing on the glory of Strata hops (draft only.) Also coinciding on 9/11 is Norte Brewing’s Fresh Hop Mexican-Style Lager 4.7% with Lorien fresh hops (in 16oz cans and on draft), and Fresh Hop Gatito Pale Ale 5.5% abv with Strata fresh hops and Krush Cryo hops dry-hop (in 16oz cans and on draft).
Sunriver Brewing
First fresh hop beers drop September 7th.
The Bend, Oregon based multiple-time brewery of the year winner Sunriver Brewing is planning to package more widely their fresh hop beers in 2026. Expect the usual fresh draft beer, but way more 16oz cans in the market.
Sunriver Brewing’s first release is a fresh hop version of their flagship Vicious Mosquitio IPA brewed with Crosby Hops brand new hop product CGX Nuvo. Introduced in 2025, CGX® NUVO™ is a flowable, high-density lupulin powder made from fresh hops using Crosby Hops’ patented cryogenic technology. We can debate (and will debate) whether processed and powderized hop cones can or should ever be considered “fresh” hop, but regardless the word-of-mouth on this product is very good. The fresh hop extract is made only during the harvest season by immediately flash-freezing and concentrating 100% of the essential oils from whole cones.
Fresh Hop Vicious Mosquito with Warrior, Columbus, Simcoe, Fresh Centennial NUVO CGX drops on or around September 7th in 16oz cans and on draft.These wet wonders deliver big notes of grapefruit juice, lime blossom, and pine needles
Fresh Hop Stomp is next up on September 11th in cans and on draft. This modern IPA is lean, mean, and precise, stomping on traditions, and blazing a new trail. A skinny malt bill of Idaho-grown pale barley creates a clean, lightly sweet base for a blend of hand selected PNW hops. Citra, Krush, and a massive amount of Fresh Strata hops deliver reliably tropical and citrus notes, while the Mosaic hits with supporting diesel, woodsy, and berry character.
September 12th ish:
FH Something Dank w/ Simcoe
September 15th:
Fresh Hop Fuzztail Hefeweizen w/ Luminosa
September 19th:
FH Burlington w/ Dolcita (16oz cans)
September 22nd:
FH Rippin w/ Amarillo (16oz cans)
FH West Coast Hospitality w/ Citra
FH Che Figata- Lorien (16oz cans)
September 26th:
FH No Whammies w/ Mosaic (16oz cans)
Ruse Brewing
First fresh hop beers drop September 15th
Ruse Brewing has been ratcheting up their fresh hop releases over the past few years and plans to release 10 this year. As big believers of using fresh hops “hot side” at the beginning of the brewing process, their beers tend to be released slightly later in the season. Ruse Brewing kicks their hop harvest releases off on September 15th with two Strata fresh hopped beers.
Mystic Visions is a Hazy IPA using oat and spelts for body and mouth feel, with eldorado and mosaic hops, and a big pop of fresh strata hops to add a combo of fruit and dankness. Alien Plant Farm is a West Coast IPA collaboration with Human People Beer out of Seattle, WA, and Riip Beer from Hungington Beach, CA. This 6.6% abv westie has a plethora of hops additions from flaked adjuncts to Simcoe hop extract, and fresh frozen Cryo Mosaic hops. The big boost comes from Strata fresh hops. Both Mystic Visions and Alien Plant Farm drop on draft and in 16oz cans on September 15th, but a separate Citra fresh hop variant of Alien Plant Farm will be released on draft-only on September 22nd.
Next up on September 22nd: Green Mountain Green, a Hazy IPA collaboration with Other Half Brewing out of New York with fresh Simcoe hops on tap and in cans with a Mosaic variant dropping draft-only on September 30th. Red Rain, a fresh hop NW Red ale collaboration with Slice Beer Co. from Lincoln, CA with fresh Chinook hops in cans and on draft. Deception Test, a West Coast IPA collaboration with Ism Brewing out of Long Beach, CA with fresh Simcoe hops. The draft-only variant of Alien Plant Farm with citra hops will also be released this day. All four beers are kegging on September 22nd and should be available at the brewery that day and from the distributor Day One the following days/week.
September 29th and 30th marks the final few releases in Ruse’s fresh hop schedule: Wolves in the Rain, a West Coast IPA with Citra fresh hops: Shade Garden, a Hazy IPA with fresh Citra hops; and, Songspire, a West Coast IPA with fresh Citra hops, all drop on September 29th at the brewery with the distributor to follow. The Mosaic fresh hop variant of Green Mountain Green hazy IPA will also drop the following day on 9/30 on draft-only.