The mid-Atlantic has never been great for making beer with freshly picked hops. Last year brewers from elsewhere blessed Snallygaster with ten beers utilizing fresh hops, and this year we’ve got at least twelve more, featuring some pretty cool hops (Strata, Mosaic) and some classics (Centennial, Simcoe, Hallertau).

Fresh Hops Picking 2019

What are fresh or wet hopped beers? Most beers are made with dried or kilned hops or hop pellets while the beers below are made with freshly picked hops. Expect beers with a hint more vegetal or “green” notes than usual when tasting. To the list! 

Fair Isle, Früh, Fresh Hop Saison w/ Hallertau Mittlefrüh, 5.2% alcohol by volume. Saavy reader and drinkers will recognize that Washington’s Fair Isle brought the 2025 version of this beer to last year’s Snallygaster. Might want to scroll back in your Untappd history to compare hop harvests. Cyclops.
Fast Fashion, Harvest Helles, Helles Lager w/ Whole-Cone Hersbrucker Hops, 4.4%. They brought a fresh hop IPA last year, and this year they’re doing that, too, while adding a Helles. Try to get to this one early, before you bombard your tastebuds with hazies, sours, and stouts.
Fast Fashion, Aroma Therapy: Centennial, Fresh Hop West Coast IPA w/ Centennial, 6.6%. Jabberwock.
Flatland, Fresh 2 Death: Mosaic, Wet Hop West Coast IPA w/ Mosaic, 7.1%. When picked just right, this hop gives off lovely flavors of blueberries, red currants, and, uh, dankness. Please believe we will be giving our glassware a swirl with this beer. Nessie.

Fox Farm, Flowers 2026, Wet Hop IPA w/ Vermont-Grown Centennial, 6.7%. Nice to see New England get some representation here, both from the hops and from a farm brewery. Demigorgon.
Garden Path, The Collaborative Blend, Mixed Fermentation Saison w/ Heather, Bog Myrtle, Lavender + Fresh Hops (Cambridge Collab.), 6.5%. You will see the excellently named Ron Extract from Garden Path on the DC Beer podcast stage once again. Let’s get weird! Gargoyle.
ISM, Fresh Hop Western Standard Time, West Coast IPA, 6.7%. ISM is new to Snally this year, and the 2024 version of beer won gold at the World Beer Cup. The hop is Strata. We like Strata. Jabberwock.
KCBC, Strictly Chronic: Fresh Hop Edition Fresh Hop IPA w/ New York-Grown Chinook & Triumph, 7%. The East Coast has a few hop growers, this will be a good compare and contrast. Demigorgon.
Other Half, Greenest City, Fresh Hop Hazy IPA, 7.0%. You know Green City, well, there’s none more green than this version, with fresh hops. Therir second beer might involve fresh Simcoe, too. Medusa.
Outer Range, Above the Treeline Fresh Hop, West Coast IPA w/ Simcoe, 7.2%. At this point it’s safe to say that the IPAs from this Colorado brewery are actually underrated. Poseidon.

Root + Branch, Historical Society: Fresh Hop Harvest Ale (Citra + Comet + Simcoe), Hazy Double IPA, 8%. Root + Branch had my favorite of the ten fresh hop beers last year, so I’m excited to try this one. Nessie.
Structures, Fresh Hop Junior, Fresh Hop Hazy Pale Ale w/ Strata, 4.4%. A session-strength fresh hop beer sounds perfect for a beerfest like Snally, we’re in! Jabberwock.

That’s two saisons, a lager, and nine IPAs using fresh hops, which is a pretty good start.