Monday, September 28, 2009

Harpoon 100 Barrel Series Glacier Harvest '09 Wet Hop Ale

Web stuff:

ABOUT Glacier Harvest '09 Wet Hop Beer

Brew Date: 8/18/08
Packaging Date: 9/1/09

For the 28th session of the Harpoon 100 Barrel Series, we’re celebrating this year’s hop harvest with Glacier Harvest Wet Hop beer, a pale ale made with fresh Glacier hops.

Wet hop beers are brewed using fresh, “wet” hops instead of traditional dried hops—hops contain about 60% moisture when they are first picked.  See, you really do learn something new every day.
 
Typically, when hops are picked they are quickly dried and refrigerated to increase shelf life and make them more consistent for brewing. Freshly picked wet hops, however, need to be used within hours of harvest or they will begin to degrade rapidly. Wet hops retain more of their natural aroma and volatile flavors that dissipate when dried. This gives wet hop beers a fresher hop flavor and aroma than that of beers hopped with processed hops.  Theoretically yes, but in this case....

This yields an immersed, intense hop flavor in the beer.

Harpoon brewer Ray Dobens, creator of the beer, added a heroic  dose of fresh hops the day of the harvest. See the brewer in heroic action!  The hop flavor and aroma from this copper-colored ale comes from a generous late addition of freshly harvested “wet” hops.

How does it really taste?  I'm not familiar with Glacier hops.  There are no discernable aromatics.  It's basically crisp and bitter.  Not a bad thing, but not quite what I was hoping for.

Cost: Approximately $6.99 for 20 oz.
Grade: B-
Cost Adjusted Grade: B-

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