Top of the Fresh Hop Heap

Terrapin 2012 So Fresh & So Green, Green
Sampled: Dec. 10, 2012

On a recent beer run, I perked up a bit at the hop selection behind the 2012 Terrapin So Fresh & So Green, Green, the Georgia brewery's fresh hop ale in its Last year's edition was a bit of an oddball, with fresh Challenger hops not providing the fresh hop power typical of these ales.

For 2012, Terrapin picked bushels of Citra hops, a crossing of Hallertauer Mittelfruh, U.S. Tettnanger, East Kent Golding, Bavarian, and Brewers Gold, among others. It produces pronounced passion fruit flavors and aromas. Nancy and I became acquainted with the hop through Bitterroot Brewing Company's exquisite Citra Single-Hop Ale.

Terrapin too earns the "exquisite" tag. Flowing from the Yakima Valley immediately after harvest, this hop dazzles when brewed quickly.

The nose erases any doubts about hop subtlety, imparting a huge flavor profile. its richness derives from tangerine, lemon oil, papaya and pine needles.

 The body throws off notes of orange peel, lemon and proves hoppy without turning bitter. The lace remains thin but creamy, adding another dimension. The finish lacks a bitter bite, but instead offers a delightful citrus-tinged hop sizzle. Its reasonable 6.6 percent ABV immediately made us wonder why we didn't grab another.

The 2012 take on So Fresh & So Green, Green should be shared repeatedly this season, because Terrapin will go with a different variety for 2013. Terrapin easily eclipses most of the bottled fresh hop ales sampled this fall.

2012 Bridgeport Fresh Hop Pilsner

Sampled: Nov. 25, 2012

Bravo to Bridgeport – you can take the fresh hop trend in a fresh direction. Too often, pale ale and IPA are the sole destination for those barrels of hops newly plucked from the vine. This is not a bad thing, but the harvest practice of wet hops can apply to other styles.  

Of course, it has been savaged in some online beer circles. I came away impressed at the difference fresh hops make in a high-alcohol pilsner. Many forget the important role that sharp-flavored hops play in pilsners. As a fan of imperial pilsner, their take intrigued me. Bridgeport also touts "From Field To Brew in One Hour," making it one of the freshest hop experiences anywhere.

Fortunately, Bridgeport did not falter. Bridgeport used 800 pounds of Oregon-grown Tettnang hops to flavor 180 barrels of this imperial pilsner.

Weird whiffs of petrol dominate the nose. They are quickly forgotten once the pilsner reached the palate. This fresh hop pilsner runs quite creamy and piney on the finish. The body features plenty of lemon (some lemon zest, some lemon meringue). Some anonymous citrus notes drift behind the lemon. Fine hop bitterness runs along the finish, lying in wait as the standard pale malts of pilsner work their gentle path. Very little hop lingers on the palate, a surprise for a beer built on its hop payload. 

Hop Harvest Pilsner drinks like ordinary pilsner, not an 8.8 percent ABV behemoth. Smoothness and powerful flavor have rarely been so dangerous.

Hailing from Portland, Bridgeport sits in a major hop-growing region, and used those resources to great effect. This success should spur more Pacific Northwest brewers to toss their wet hops at lagers and less obvious harvest styles.