Hey, beer buddies. I still have some articles rescued from other, now defunct, sites that I’ve written on about beer. Here’s one I wrote about back in 2014, for a site called Tidbitts.com. The idea there was that people would just 75 cents to read an article, and the writer collects half of it. Yup, bad business model.
Are you ready to bang your glass on the table and declare, “No More PUMPKIN Beers!” Then, you’re in luck, because I’ve got a different seasonal beer to talk about!
Many of this country’s craft brewers have a fall tradition of a “Fresh Hop” or “Wet Hop” beer. This is one in which hops are flown to the brewer’s kettle as soon as they’re picked; before drying out or getting a chance to grow stale. This can be a hassle for some brewers who are far from the hop fields of the Northwest, but they manage by planting their own hop acreage. Sierra Nevada made this beer a bi-yearly event by offering a Southern Hemisphere Harvest Fresh Hop IPA. And yes, It’s usually the India Pale Ales that get the fresh hop special editions.
So Deschutes Brewery of Bend, OR is now on its third year of the Chasin’ Freshies Fresh Hop IPA. Each year, the beer focuses on a single hop variety: 2012 featured an heirloom strain of Cascade, 2013 saw Amarillos. This 2014 edition puts Mosaic hops to the fore.
Mosaic is a recent hop cultivar, said to be more fruity and earthy, and with more bitterness to boot. Certainly on that should be an experience fresh.
This puts up some stuff foam when poured in a narrow IPA glass, all the better to deliver aroma to you. Color is very pale, while many IPA have kind of an orange cast. Perhaps because there is a bit of oatmeal in the grain bill, according to Deschutes. The nose has a lot of mango, pomegranate, and some pine needles.
Malt comes in a little sticky, and the 7.4% alcohol feels more obvious because of it. And the hop aroma just fill the airspace in my mouth at the same time.
This one holds to its promise of a strong hop experience. This does not have the usual taste of fresh cut grass that some wet hops will give you. So it will stand out when you’re sampling hoppy beers around.
Note: While other beers in this column have been sent to me for review, I purchased this one at my local liquor store. A 22 oz. bomber was $5.99, a pretty good price.
