Fresh hop season has arrived
We’re spoilt for choice when it comes to craft beer in our region. We’ve got several amazing breweries, right on our doorstep, pushing the boat out to make beers that are unique and of high quality. With this change in weather comes a brewer’s favourite time of year – it’s fresh hop season – which means some more great beers are about to hit the taproom floors.
Hops are one of the key ingredients in beer, responsible for bitterness, aroma and flavour. They grow on a vine and grow in the form of a small green cone, and are harvested from late February and through to April. Usually they are dried or kilned to be sent out to breweries during the year, and all across the country and the world, but at this time of year, they can be taken to brew with immediately, creating a vibrant flavour profile.
Nelson is the main growing region of hops in New Zealand, however we do have one hop farm nearby, Garston Hops, who are producing South Island hops, which make it easy for local breweries to be able to put the freshest possible hops in their beers. Just like grapes used for wine, growing hops in different regions creates slightly different flavour profiles.
Altitude Brewery first established their relationship with Garston Hops in 2015, as the farm was just starting out. Since then, the relationship has flourished and resulted in flavoursome brews with both fresh and dried hops. Founder of Altitude, Eliott Menzies, is excited to be doing a collaboration with Sydney Brewery, One Drop, this year for their fresh-hop beer, Fresh Tracks. He’s gone out to Garston Hops to make very specific selections, as he’s learned what he likes over the years.
“It’s benefitted us by being able to see and smell, and eventually taste the differences between the different paddocks, and being able to select our hops,” Menzies says. “Garston Hops are a little bit softer and more floral – they definitely lend themselves to beer styles that might be a bit different to your classic New Zealand hop varieties. We’ve tweaked our recipes to incorporate the Garston style, and then we’ll also use hops from up in Nelson in situations where we want to showcase more of that classic New Zealand style.”
Mikaela Turner from Canyon Brewing is excited for this year’s fresh hopped beers. They’re releasing two – a hazy IPA called Pinball Wizard, which is available in cans or on tap and a Central Otago lager called Canyon Green, which is only available on tap.
“Every year we make the pilgrimage to Garston to grab the freshest hops we can get our hands on, and this time, we’ve thrown them straight onto our Canyon Gold base,” she says. “The result is everything you love about Canyon Gold, but cranked up a notch. Brighter citrus, juicier stone fruit, and that signature, crisp, clean finish.”
Many of the breweries, including Canyon, and craft beer houses will host events showcasing the fresh-hopped goodness. Mikaela describes it as a great way to sip your way around the countries best fresh hops in one spot.
Over at Searchlight, brewer Ash Hutchinson is also pumped on fresh hop season and is brewing three beers. The first one is available now, called Messy Ferguson, and was made using hops shipped in from Nelson.
“I currently have a hazy IPA with fresh Freestyle Motueka, which was in fantastic shape – best quality fresh-hop cones I have ever received. They were a gorgeous vibrant green with no browning and no leave or stem matter. Can’t tell you how nice it was to receive them in such good shape, and of course the smell was amazing,” Hutchinson says.
Altitude will host their Fresh Hop Fest on Saturday, 5 April. Canyon Brewing will be hosting their fourth annual Fresh Hop Showcase on Saturday, 12 April. Beech Tree, Searchlight’s sister bar, will host a fresh hop tap takeover on Saturday, 12 April. For more information, head to the brewery’s Facebook pages.
