From Field to Kettle: Brewing Our 2026 Fresh Hop Pale Ale

Every year, brewers have a brief opportunity to work with one of the most unique ingredients in craft beer: fresh hops, also known as wet hops. Unlike the dried and pelletized hops used throughout the rest of the year, fresh hops are harvested and brewed almost immediately, capturing aromas and flavors that simply can't be preserved through processing.
This year, we're excited to announce that our Fresh Hop Pale Ale will arrive in early November, and it's shaping up to be one of the most anticipated beers we've brewed.
What Are Fresh Hops?Nearly every beer you've ever enjoyed has been brewed with hop pellets. After harvest, hops are dried to reduce their moisture content from around 80% to about 10%, then compressed into pellets for storage and year-round use.
Fresh hops skip that entire process.
They're picked straight from the bine and rushed directly to the brewery while they're still full of moisture, delicate oils, and vibrant aromatics. Because they begin to deteriorate almost immediately after harvest, breweries have only a very small window—often just hours—to put them into the brew.
That's what makes fresh hop beers so special. They're a true seasonal celebration of the hop harvest.
Six Hours from the FieldOur Amarillo hops are grown right here in Boundary County, Idaho, just north of Sandpoint.
This year's harvest is expected to begin in early September, a few weeks earlier than usual due to the hot, dry summer. Within about six hours of leaving the field, those hops will already be hard at work in our brewhouse.
It doesn't get much fresher than that.
Using locally grown hops not only supports North Idaho agriculture but also allows us to brew a beer that captures the character of this year's harvest at its absolute peak.
A Different Brewing ProcessFresh hops require a different approach than traditional hop pellets.
For this beer, we'll fill our mash tun with freshly harvested Amarillo hops and gently recirculate hot wort from the kettle over them. Rather than simply passing through, the wort will rest on the hops for several hours, allowing it to absorb their delicate oils and fresh-picked character.
After this extended steep, the wort will return to the kettle for a gentle rise above 180°F, providing sanitation while preserving as much of the fresh hop expression as possible.
It's a slower, more hands-on process, but that's part of what makes fresh hop brewing so rewarding.
Letting Amarillo ShineAmarillo has long been one of our favorite hop varieties because of its bright citrus character and remarkable complexity.
Depending on the growing season, Amarillo can showcase notes of orange, tangerine, grapefruit, lemon, apricot, peach, melon, and subtle floral aromas. In fresh hop form, those characteristics become even more expressive, often accompanied by impressions of fresh-cut grass, evergreen, wildflowers, and the unmistakable aroma of walking through a hop yard during harvest.
To let those flavors take center stage, we're making a significant change to our recipe.
Rather than building the rich malt profile found in our traditional pale ale, we're simplifying the grain bill by reducing or eliminating several specialty malts. The goal is to create a cleaner, lighter foundation that allows this year's Amarillo harvest to speak for itself.
Sometimes, less really is more.
One Harvest. One Chance.Unlike most of our beers, this recipe can only be brewed once each year.
Fresh hop beers are snapshots of a single harvest. Weather, soil conditions, rainfall, and growing temperatures all influence the character of the hops, meaning no two vintages are ever exactly alike.
That's part of the excitement.
Each year's beer tells the story of that particular growing season and that particular harvest.
Headed to the North Idaho Brewers CupWe're especially excited because this Fresh Hop Pale Ale will be one of six breweries selected to enter this year's North Idaho Brewers Cup.
Competitions are always an opportunity to showcase our brewing, but this beer feels especially meaningful. It represents not only our commitment to quality but also our connection to local agriculture and our passion for seasonal brewing.
Whether it earns a medal or not, we're incredibly proud of the collaboration between North Idaho growers and our brewhouse.
Don't Miss ItFresh hop beers have one thing in common—they don't last long.
Once this batch is gone, it's gone until next year's harvest.
If you've never experienced the unmistakable aroma and flavor of beer brewed with hops that traveled only a few hours from the field to the kettle, this is your chance.
We can't wait to share this year's harvest with you. Cheers to another hop season, another opportunity to brew something truly unique, and another reminder that some of the best beers are only possible for a few short weeks each year.