FRESH HOP FRENZY!

August 30, 2023

North Coast breweries are busy whipping up batches of fresh hop beer in a variety of styles, taking full advantage of the splendid harvest now underway.

Fort George Brewery is planning a whopping six special beer releases in September, each made with fragrant fresh hops grown at Willamette Valley farms.

That’s a record for the Astoria brewery – and a gift to beer lovers throughout the region.

Fresh hops are super perishable, so breweries have to rush them from farm to brew tank – within a few hours, preferably. It’s also advisable to drink these beers as close to the release date as possible to enjoy peak flavors and aromas.

So, don’t miss out!

The guide below may help:

REACH BREAK BREWING

Fresh Hop IPA – Made with Centennial hops from Crosby Hop Farm. Released Aug. 28.

FORT GEORGE BREWING

Fresh IPA – West Coast style, with Centennial hops from Crosby. Released Sept. 9.

Fresh Hop Fields of Green – Hazy IPA with Simcoe hops from Coleman Hop Farm. Tentative release: Sept. 19

Illuminaut IPA – Collaboration with Varietal Beer Co. of Sunnyside, Wash., and Moonraker Brewing of Auburn, Calif. West Coast style, with Luminosa hops from Coleman. Tentative release: Sept. 20.

Columbus Architect – Collab with Ghost Town Brewing of Oakland, Calif. West Coast style IPA, with Columbus hops. Tentative release: Sept. 21.

Rock, Paper, Cascade – Pale ale, with Cascade hops from Crosby. Tentative release: Sept. 27.

Co-Hoperative Ale – Made with fresh hops brought to the brewery by local growers. Tentative release: Sept. 28.

BUOY BEER CO.

Fresh Hop Helles Lager – Released on draught Sept. 9.

PELICAN BREWING

Elemental Fresh Hop Beer – An IPA, with Cascade hops from Goschie Farms. Tentative release: mid-September.

PUBLIC COAST BREWING

Fresh (Landing) Hop Lager — Made with a blend of Cascade and Magnum hops grown at Public Coast Farm. Tentative release: mid-September.

We’re reaching out to other North Coast breweries and will add their fresh hop brews to this list, so check back often.

On a related note, the 19^th annual Portland Fresh Hops Festival is coming up at Oaks Amusement Park. The Sept. 29-30 event is a fundraiser for the nonprofit Oregon Brewers Guild. To learn more, visit www.oregoncraftbeer.org/pdx-fresh-hops-festival.

Q/A WITH KYLE CHRIESTENSON OF BREAKSIDE BREWERY

Most business people dream of having a corner office one day. Kyle Chriestenson already has his – at the corner end of the bar at Breakside Brewery’s downtown Astoria brewpub.

That’s where he can often be found, greeting customers and tending to the demands of being a general manager. That includes importing the right combination of kegged beer from the Portland brewery and ordering enough fresh oysters to satisfy a growing number of customers.

Q/A WITH BRIAN BOVENIZER OF FORT GEORGE BREWERY

We sat down recently for a wide-ranging discussion with Brian Bovenizer, Fort George’s decidedly unconventional marketing director. He first visited Astoria in 2008 and immediately was smitten by the fledgling brewery. From a bar stool, he asked co-founder Jack Harris for a job, but that didn’t happen until a year later when he started working as a cook with zero experience.

The company expanded quickly, so it didn’t take Bovenizer long to land a marketing/sales job. He’s been helping chart Fort George’s future ever since. He lives in Astoria with his wife and two children, and still manages to find time to play in a band and surf.

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