Sep 29, 2022 - Food and Drink

Where to find Colorado's best fresh hop beers

John Frank

Hops in a burlap sack — Fresh-picked hops at Billy Goat Farm in Montrose. Photo courtesy of Austin Studio Denver

Once a year, the hops gods deliver a truly unique beer to Colorado breweries.

What to know: It features hops — the much-hyped flavoring element in beer — fresh from the bine, often within 24 hours of being picked.

Because each harvest varies, every year's edition is a different flavor exploration.

The intrigue: A panel of beer experts — Axios Denver's John Frank included — gathered Tuesday for a blind tasting of 16 fresh hop (also known as wet hop) beers made by Colorado breweries.

The entries covered the entire range of styles, from pilsners to IPAs, but the best had a punch of fresh fruit flavors from the hops without being too bitter.

The results: The top three finishers:

Comrade Superdamp, the fresh-hopped version of the Superpower IPA, both multi-award winning beers
Station 26's fresh-hopped Juicy Banger IPA
Ratio's wet-hopped Antidote IPA

John's picks: Two other favorites were Outer Range's Strata Gems, a fresh-hopped hazy double IPA with strawberry hop flavor, and Odell's Strata Fresh Hop IPA.

The bottom line: Now's a great time to visit your local brewery and try the freshness.

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Where to find Colorado's best fresh hop beers

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