With the impending hop shortage upon us and quickly becoming reality
for both the industry and consumers, all anyone can do is hope for the
best and prepare for the worst. Support your local brewery may become
a bigger part of our lives with some breweries not getting the hops
they want or any hops at all. What about the luxury beers, like wet
(fresh) hop beers? What will happen next year? Will breweries be able
to keep this style alive?

My last fresh hop beer for this year is Deschutes Brewery's Hop Trip.
They gathered 4,000 pounds of fresh Crystal hops from the NW, that is
about 800 pounds of dried hops used in several batches. A quick
guesstimate ... if they brewed four batches in their 50bbl brewhouse
with 1,000 pounds of fresh hops in each batch, that is the rough
equivalent of four pounds of dried hops per barrel. Let's all hope
next years crop is a banner one.

As soon as I popped the cap there was a pleasant fresh hop aroma, an
aroma that you definitely don't get with dried hops. Glowing tawny hue
with a mild chill haze that disappears after the brew warms up a
little. Good frothing rocky head with a very sticky lace. Very
aromatic with citric juicy overtones; Clementines and mandarin oranges
come to mind with a hint of rind as well. Moderate body with a semi-
smooth mouth feel. Oily fresh hop character with mild citric, faint
pine and a wild floral tone in the back. Hop bitterness is not sharp
at all but pleasant with a balancing character. Pale malt flavor has
biscuity and bready flavors throughout. Hint of fruitiness with a
drying woody character from the hops in the middle. Fresh herbs and
edible flowers in the semi-dry hop saturated finish.

An easy session ale for me, I could see drinking this all of the
time ... why can't hops be a year round crop. Its just not fair. Hop
trip is an excellent example of what a fresh hop beer is all about.

For more reviews:

http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profi ... /63/26395/

Official press release:

http://beeradvocate.com/news/1098557

For more info:

http://www.deschutesbrewery.com