{"id":20900,"date":"2018-08-23T17:01:57","date_gmt":"2018-08-24T00:01:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/archives.csusm.edu\/westcoastersd\/?p=20900"},"modified":"2018-08-23T17:02:30","modified_gmt":"2018-08-24T00:02:30","slug":"wet-hop-beers-of-2018","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archives.csusm.edu\/westcoastersd\/2018\/08\/23\/wet-hop-beers-of-2018\/","title":{"rendered":"Wet hop beers of 2018"},"content":{"rendered":"

Every summer sees the harvest of fresh hops and brewers eager to craft truly seasonal beers with them. Here\u2019s your guide to San Diego\u2019s scene this year. For additions or changes, e-mail ryan@westcoastersd.com…<\/p>\n

Photos by Matt De La Cruz (@brewstills)<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

First Out Of The Gate: Thunderhawk Alements<\/strong><\/em>
\nOn July 26,\u00a0West Coaster\u00a0<\/em>reported<\/a> on what we believed was the first wet hop beer brewed in San Diego County this summer (Nickel Beer\u2019s collaboration with Star B Ranch). Well, it turns out that Miralani Makers\u2019 District brewery Thunderhawk Alements<\/a> beat Nickel by three days.<\/p>\n

To craft a ten-barrel wet hop version of their English pale ale Liberty\u2019s Teeth, Thunderhawk\u2019s Bill Lindsay worked with Solo Salsido of El Cajon\u2019s Hopmentation Farm to harvest Nugget and Cascade hops for the brew kettle.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis beer uses English Ale yeast which has some nice subtle esters that complement most wet hops,\u201d said Thunderhawk\u2019s Jonathan Barbarin. \u201cWe also split this beer into kegs containing different wet hop varieties, including Chinook, Cascade, and Brewer\u2019s Gold. The flavor and aroma from the secondary wet hopping creates some incredible, diverse flavors. Chinook hops created an herbal, dill, sweet Tzatziki profile. Cascade is probably the most bitter of the bunch, with lemon peel and earth, finishing with a subtle dank bitterness. The Brewer\u2019s Gold was the fruitiest of the bunch, projecting a strong aroma of honeydew melon rind, with the flavor to match. One of the most interesting parts of drinking a pint of these wet hop beers is the slightly sticky mouthfeel from the copious amounts of hop oils, without leaving a cloying bitterness.\u201d<\/p>\n

Most Dedicated: Nickel Beer Co.<\/strong><\/em>
\nReaders who\u2019ve followed these wet hop articles for the past few years know that Tom Nickel is San Diego\u2019s leader in wet hop beer brewing. On Thursday, September 13, his Kearny Mesa bar O\u2019Brien\u2019s Pub will feature around a dozen of the wet hop beers he was involved with this year; most of those were brewed at his Julian brewery Nickel Beer Co. while others are collaborations from around town, including a graf (beer\/cider hybrid) made with Newtopia Cyder from Scripps Ranch. Over that weekend (9\/14 – 9\/16), the taps will feature even more beers made in San Diego with local hops. In October, the emphasis switches to Yakima Valley\/Pacific Northwest hops.<\/p>\n

Most Dedicated (Honorable Mention): Viewpoint Brewing<\/strong><\/em>
\n(Relative) newcomer Viewpoint is working on seven wet hop beers this year, with the angle of exploring the characteristics of wet hops throughout the season. The first one tapped was a 4.8% Cascade session IPA collaboration with Nickel; a second version is planned for the end of harvest. Others brewed by time of press included a wet hop amber and a wet hop extra pale ale with Crystal, Nugget, and Cascade.<\/p>\n

Farm-To-Table Connection: Royale\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>
\nThe owners of Valley Center hop and produce farm Nopalito also own Point Loma bar and restaurant Royale. On Sunday, September 16, the farm is hosting a party with MIHO Catering and wet hop beers by South Park Brewing, North Park Brewing, and Nickel; tickets are $80 at SundayAsado.BrownPaperTickets.com<\/a>. The next weekend, Saturday, September 22, there\u2019s a \u201cWet Hop Week\u201d kick-off party at Royale, with wet hop IPA-battered fish & chips, plus the wet hop beers on tap.<\/p>\n

New Beer Competition: Bocce Fest<\/strong><\/em>
\nOn September 30, Viewpoint Brewing co-founder Charles Koll will lead a brand new beer competition coinciding with the Del Mar-Solana Beach Rotary\u2019s 22nd annual \u201cBocce Fest\u201d<\/a> at the old Polo Fields, all to raise money for charities Just In Time and Reality Changers. The competition will be judged by a panel of industry professionals headed by Paul Sangster, master BJCP beer judge and co-founder\/brewmaster of Rip Current Brewing Company. The competition includes a wet hop beer category, and they\u2019re hoping to have close to 50 San Diego breweries participate.<\/p>\n

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Pure Project brewer Jensen Atwood<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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\n<\/figure>\n

More Wet Hop Beers in San Diego:<\/strong><\/h1>\n
\n

Amplified Ale Works debuted Wet Zeppelin IPA with Cascade and Centennial from HopsMeister at their E-Vil (East Village) grand opening on Friday, August 24.<\/p>\n

Bitter Brothers brewed a Brut Wet Hop IPA on August 17 with Cashmere hops from Star B, as a collaboration with Nickel Beer. The name: CashmereOutside.<\/p>\n

Burgeon Beer will use Pacific Northwest hops to brew Sticky Fingers (100% Mosaic) Double IPA some time in early September. There\u2019s also a New England-style, 100% Citra collaboration with Pizza Port in the works.<\/p>\n

Burning Beard\u2019s third annual Circle of Wet Hops is the wet-hopped version of the core lineup Pale Ale, featuring 100 pounds of Star B Cascade (5.2%). The second annual all-Neomexicanus collaboration IPA with Nickel is called Room 101 (6.5%).<\/p>\n

Culture\u2019s gluten-reduced IPA: Hops. Wet hops. ABV: (00)7.0%. All Cascade and Chinook from SD Golden Hop Farm in Fallbrook. Brewed on August 11.<\/p>\n

Deft Brewing will use Chinook and Centennial hops grown on their patio for WetHopt. Cones will likely be harvested in mid-September.<\/p>\n

Duck Foot is adding Cascade and Centennial hops from HopsMeister in their West Coast-style IPA The Contender.<\/p>\n

Fourpenny House in La Mesa celebrated their grand opening in April, and they\u2019re brewing three wet hop beers this year, all with help from Hopportunity Farms in Julian: Beatrix Blonde with Julian Gold (4.2%); Fourpenny Ale with Cascade (5.4%); and Pacific Crest Ale with Chinook (6.2%)<\/p>\n

North Park Beer Company worked with Chinook hops from Nopalito Farm to brew Chinopalito again, on August 17.<\/p>\n

Pizza Port\u2019s five brewpubs are all brewing at least one wet hop beer this year. The headquarters at Bressi Ranch will can their batch, a West Coast-style, all-Citra IPA collaboration with Burgeon Beer, for a tentative end of September release. Solana Beach will be brewing \u2018Merica West Coast IPA with Mosaic hops (7%), and Citra Supreme with Citra hops (8%). Ocean Beach\u2019s Wet Lambo IPA uses fresh Mosaic, and Dr. Greenthumb IPA has all Citra. Carlsbad\u2019s Plant 2 Pint is a 6% strong pale ale with Mosaic, and Raceway is a 7% West Coast IPA with Citra. Outside of San Diego County, but worthy of a mention, Pizza Port San Clemente is brewing Riptide IPA with fresh Citra, and Contender Pale with fresh Mosaic.<\/p>\n

Pure Project teamed up with Star B Ranch (Cascade, Nugget, Horizon) on Desert Convoy Murky IPA (7%). Women\u2019s Beer Collective was also on hand to help pick some of the smaller bines that weren\u2019t machine-processed. This beer was on tap for the Convoy Flight on August 26 at O\u2019Brien\u2019s Pub, Common Theory, Shanghai Saloon, and Soho Gastropub.<\/p>\n

Quantum\u2019s Anti-Matter IPA, made with Cascade hops from Renquist Farm in Valley Center, is 8.0%.<\/p>\n

Rock Bottom La Jolla is working with HopsMeister Farm to brew Hop Tub Time Machine IPA (6.8%).<\/p>\n

Second Chance Beer\u2019s Single Hop IPA (7%) uses all Cascade from Hopportunity Farms in Julian.<\/p>\n

South Park Brewing is working with locals Nopalito Farm (Hoppy Red 6.6 – 7%) and Star B (Baby Buck XPA 5.8 – 6.2%) again this year. The beers should be on tap late August or early September.<\/p>\n

Thorn\u2019s wet hop beer is a collaboration with Urban Surf 4 Kids. Hop Grom is 5.5% with Chinook, Comet, and Pacific Gem Hops.<\/p>\n

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\"Star <\/a>
Star B Ranch in Ramona. Photo by Matt De La Cruz (@brewstills) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Every summer sees the harvest of fresh hops and brewers eager to craft truly seasonal beers with them. Here\u2019s your guide to San Diego\u2019s scene this year. For additions or changes, e-mail ryan@westcoastersd.com… Photos by Matt De La Cruz (@brewstills) First Out Of The Gate: Thunderhawk Alements On July 26,\u00a0West Coaster\u00a0reported on what we believed […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":20902,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[368,1],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-20900","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-beer-news","8":"category-san-diego-beer-beverage-news","9":"entry"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/archives.csusm.edu\/westcoastersd\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/DSCF7687.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1","wps_subtitle":"Fresh hop cones in San Diego beer this year","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pdtr4y-5r6","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/archives.csusm.edu\/westcoastersd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20900","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/archives.csusm.edu\/westcoastersd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/archives.csusm.edu\/westcoastersd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archives.csusm.edu\/westcoastersd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archives.csusm.edu\/westcoastersd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20900"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/archives.csusm.edu\/westcoastersd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20900\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archives.csusm.edu\/westcoastersd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20902"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/archives.csusm.edu\/westcoastersd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20900"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archives.csusm.edu\/westcoastersd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20900"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archives.csusm.edu\/westcoastersd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20900"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}