Fresh Hop Season is back!

It’s the most wonderful time of the year!!! Every year from mid august til late September; we celebrate the greatest time of year for fellow hop heads..

FRESH HOP SEASON! 

Beer 101: “Humulus Lupulus (hops) are the flowering cone of a perennial vining plant and a cousin of the cannabis variety (sorry no THC in this stuff) that typically thrives in climates similar to the ones that grapes do. Hop plants are dioecious, meaning the males and females flower on separate plants — and the female cones are used in the brewing process. Hops are the age old seasoning of the beer, the liquid gargoyles who ward-off spoilage from wild bacteria and bringers of balance to sweet malts. They also lend a hand in head retention, help to clear beer (acting as a natural filter) and please the palate by imparting their unique characters and flavours. Basically, hops put the “bitter” in beer.”

– Shout out to BeerAdvocate.com for the great explanation, we couldn’t have said it better ourselves!

Fresh hop beers differ from “year-round” beers because fresh hop beers use the whole hop cone instead of pellet-ized hops most breweries are limited to for the rest of the year. August-September is the harvest season for hops so it’s the best time to use the whole hop cone at it’s peak of freshness. These fresh hops have an extremely limited shelf life which is why these seasonal beers are so much fun!

So how did Boise Brewing celebrate Fresh hop season? By brewing a fresh hop beer of course!

One of the great things about Idaho is that we live in such close proximity to some of the best hop farms in the country. So last Friday, September 4th, Zack, Collin, and Hannah traveled to the Obendorf hop facility to grab armfuls of fresh Chinook and Cascade hops which we then rushed back to Lance and Matt to add to our seasonal fresh hop beer, Mr. Freshy’s Fresh Hop Pale Ale.

The hops that were picked fresh off the vine that morning were added into our beer by early afternoon. It doesn’t get much fresher than that!

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Fresh Hop beers are some of the most fun seasonal beers for breweries across the country. As a community supported, Idaho owned brewery; they are a beer that we hold very near and dear to our hearts. We believe that fresh hop beers really showcase Idaho crops in the best way possible… Beer!

 

Now that you mention it; We love fresh hop beers so much… we’ve dedicated a whole festival to them! This is our second year putting on Hoptober Freshtival, Idaho’s largest fresh hop beer festival. If you want to check out the majesty that is fresh-hop beer season; come on down to the brewery on October 17th! We’ve got over 25 breweries showcasing their fresh-hop offerings; including all of the local favorites! You’ll also be able to try out our fresh-hop beer, Mr. Freshy’s Fresh Hop Pale Ale! To learn more about #HoptoberFreshtival and get your tickets; check out HoptoberFreshtival.com!

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We hope you all enjoy the best season of the year as much as we do! Stay fresh and always keep it hoppin’ Boise!

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PS.

BIG shout out to Debbie from Alpha Hop Sales for showing us around and letting us grab our fresh hops. You’re the best!