It’s Time for Fresh Hop Ales to Flow

Fresh hop season is nearly here! Hop harvest is just about underway and we all know what that means – It’s finally time for fresh hop ales.

The hop bines have been twining and climbing in fields around the Yakima Valley all summer long, here in the largest hop producing region in the world. As harvest begins, the air is filled with the aromas of hops and you can feel the excitement as brewers from around the world descend on the valley to hand-select the hops they’ll use to craft the very best beers. Best of all, as soon as the first hops are harvested, newly crafted fresh hop ales begin to flow with abundance at local breweries along the Hop Country Craft Beer Trail.

So, what’s a craft beer lover to do during fresh hop season? Take a trip to Hop Country. This is the time of year to immerse yourself in everything Hop Country. First, if you haven’t taken a drive through the lush hop fields, do it soon because harvest is a quick, crazy process to get the hops out of the fields at the perfect time. But, there are plenty of hop country views to be had. Be sure to mark your calendar for all the Hop Country fall festivities.

Fresh Hop Ales at the Source

You don’t have to wait for Fresh Hop Ale Festival for fresh hop experiences! Local taprooms at nearly 20 stops on the Hop Country Craft Beer Trail will be eagerly tapping kegs of fresh hop ales crafted from hops harvested just minutes away – many of which you can only taste at the tap! Breweries will announce celebratory fresh hop release parties throughout harvest season, complete with live music, great food and other special activities. Watch our Fresh Hop Season events page and our craft beer and hops event calendar throughout the season for all the Hop Country happenings while you wait for the main event, the Fresh Hop Ale Festival!

Take a Ride Through Hop Country

Reserve your spot on Little Hopper – Yakima’s craft beer bus! Sign up for their hop-on-hop-off tours. Each tour travels a variety of loops from brewery to brewery. You choose your starting point and hop on and off to spend about an hour at each stop. You can also schedule custom group brewery tours. What better way to celebrate fresh hop season? (They also offer winery and vineyard tours!)

One-of-a Kind Hop Farm Harvest and Brewery Experience

This year, Little Hopper launched a brand-new series of immersive sensory journeys taking guests from the hop field to the brewery production facility. Now, for one day only, on September 1, you can book your spot for one of two hop harvest experiences. Witness the hops being harvested and take a tour through the hop facility as the hops progress from field to baling. The aromas are incredible and the behind-the-scenes activity is non-stop. See, smell and touch the hops just like brewers from around the world do during hop selection. From there, head to award-winning Single Hill Brewing Company and see how the freshly harvested hops become the next great beer!

Hop Country Music Festival featuring Walker Hayes

Back for a third year, the much-anticipated, two-day Hop Country Music Festival, September 13 and 14, is a must-see event. Powerhouse performers lead the lineup for a fantastic celebration in the heart of Hop Country. Grammy-nominated artist, Walker Hayes, takes the stage as Saturday’s headliner. Parmalee, Sawyer Brown and Cody Beebe & The Crooks also take the stage Saturday. A standout lineup fills the rest of the weekend in Hop Country style.

Fresh Hop Ale Festival

Here in the heart of hop country, every single hop gets harvested and processed over the span of 30 crazy days in September. It all culminates with the Yakima Valley’s signature Fresh Hop Ale Festival, one of the “Top 10 Beer Festivals in The Nation!” On Saturday, October 5, 2024, more than 65 brewers from around the west and beyond head to Yakima to compete for top honors with fresh hop ales crafted specifically for the festival using only freshly harvested hops. More than 7,000 beer lovers come for a one-of-a kind craft beer festival just made for them! Also enjoy wine, ciders, local flavors from food trucks and vendors, live music and fun activities. Best of all, this is a vehicle for community enrichment and positive social change, with proceeds donated to Yakima Country arts and sciences organizations.

Fresh Hop Festivities All Week Long!

You don’t have to wait for the festival to enjoy fresh hop experiences! In the week leading up to the festival, enjoy all sorts of hop country experiences. In addition to release parties, watch our calendar for other special, behind-the-scenes experiences. Take a trip for hop harvest fun and the Bale Breaker Brewing Co’s Post-Harvest Celebration the weekend before Fresh Hop Ale Festival. Make time to visit the American Hop Museum to learn about the history of the American hop industry, from its early days in the colonies to the Pacific Northwest and, especially, the Yakima Valley where we now grow more than 70 percent of U.S. hops.

Categorized in: Hops and Beer