BALE BREAKER BREWING – YAKIMA, WA
‘Tis the season for colorful leaves, Oktoberfests, fresh hop ales and pumpkin beers! After attending Oktoberfest Zinzinnati, Hoppy tried unsuccessfully to obtain tickets to a sold-out Yakima Fresh Hop Festival. Instead of pining away, Hoppy went directly to the hop fields and Bale Breaker Brewing where they craft fresh-off-the-farm brews from their family’s fourth generation hop farm. They started brewing in 2013 and have since grown to become Washington State’s fourth largest independent craft brewery, with a 30-barrel brewhouse at a 27,000 square foot facility.
While there, Hoppy was able to drink a flight of six fresh hop ales. These were:
Rollin’ Cones Fresh Hop Cold IPA Pinthouse Collab – Brewed with Pinthouse Brewing from Austin, TX. It features fresh picked Citra hops paired with Simcoe, HBC 586, Mosaic and Superdelic hops which give this crisp IPA citrus, tropical and honeydew aromas. 6.8% ABV, 45 IBU.
The George & Brian Fresh Hop IPA – Described as brewed with flaked rice and lager yeast this Mosaic fresh hop IPA is light-bodied yet intensely aromatic with a smoot finish. Featuring fresh Mosaic, HBC 586 Cryo and Nectaron hops for pineapple, peach, spruce and resin aromatics. 6.6% ABV, 48 IBU.
Citra Slicker Fresh Hop IPA Cloudburst Collab – This is a Citra fresh hop collaboration with Cloudburst Brewing in Seattle. 6.2% ABV, 60 IBU.
Homegrown Fresh Hop IPA – Features Bale Breaker’s homegrown hops and barley. 6% ABV, 60 IBU.
Fresh Hop Frenz IPA Russian River Collab – This is a fresh hop West Coast IPA collaboration with Russian River Brewing from Santa Rosa and Windsor, California. It is described as releasing captivating aromas of grapefruit, peach, mango and resin and features freshly picked Simcoe, Citra cryo, and HBC 586 hops. 6.9% ABV, 65 IBU.
Piled High Fresh Hop IPA – Brewed in the middle of a hop field this might just be one of the freshest fresh hop beers around. It took just four minutes to get these wet Citra hops out of the picking machine at Loftus Ranches and into the brew kettle. 6.9% ABV, 75 IBU.
My fave that night was the Rollin’ Cones, however I have had the Fresh Hop Frenz again since, and I believe that to be one of my favorite beers ever!
Pictures from the Yakima taproom follow:
