Brewery Visits

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:

VOODOO BREWING – KNOXVILLE, TN

Hoppy’s next visit was at Voodoo Brewing in the Bearden area of Knoxville. It was a franchise taproom of the brewery that’s located in Meadville, PA and opened in 2005. The Knoxville location has recently closed.

While there, Hoppy quaffed a Voodoo Love Child Fruited Belgian Tripel Ale that is described as delicately aged on sour cherries, raspberries and passionfruit to produce moderately sweet fruit notes on top of traditional Belgian yeast character. It is 9.2% ABV.

Pictures follow:

CRAFTY BASTARD BREWERY – WEST – KNOXVILLE, TN

Hoppy’s travels next took him to the Crafty Bastard Brewery – West in Knoxville. This location in West Knoxville, their second, opened in 2021. The night that Hoppy was there was an away game for the Tennessee Vols, and it was packed with their fans. He did not have time for a beer, but he was happy to see his sticker in place on the cooler sticker door. His visit to the original Crafty Bastard Brewery can be found here.

Pictures of the visit follow:

MAKAI BREWING – OCEAN ISLE BEACH, NC

About ten miles north of the South Carolina border sits Makai Brewing, in Ocean Isle Beach, Hoppy’s next visit. It opened in 2017. Their taproom has a laid-back coastal vibe, and the name Makai is a Hawaiian directional term for “toward the sea” which emphasizes the owner’s love of Hawaii and the beach. It is next door to the Butcher of Brunswick where you can purchase delicious deli sandwiches to bring in the brewery.

Hoppy enjoyed the following beers during his stay:

Fire Knife Imperial IPA – Named for the Fire Knife Dance in Hawaii. Described as a bright, aromatic DIPA which gets its tropical fruity notes from copious amounts of Warrior, Mosaic, Citra, Centennial, and Amarillo hops. It is 8.7% ABV, 97 IBU.

Key Lime Gose – Sour, Traditional Gose – Described as a just a little tart, crushable summertime beer. 4.3% ABV, 11 IBU.

Pictures from the visit follow:

Makai is also one of the breweries participating in the Kokua Project, by brewing a beer to benefit those impacted by the Maui wildfires. There are now eight Indiana breweries participating in the project as 3 Floyds Brewing has joined the group of participants.

GRAND STRAND BREWING – MYRTLE BEACH, SC

Heading down the coast, Hoppy stopped at Grand Strand Brewing (GSB) in Myrtle Beach. It opened in 2021 in the heart of the city’s downtown Arts & Innovation District. They have 16 taps on rotation.

While there, Hoppy enjoyed a Sandy Cheeks West Coast IPA described as using modern hops and having a citrus aroma with a solid malt backbone. It clocks in at 6.9% ABV.

Pictures follow:

CROOKED HAMMOCK BREWERY – NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, SC

Hoppy’s next visit was at Crooked Hammock Brewery in North Myrtle Beach. They opened their first two locations in Delaware beginning in 2015. This location, which is their largest, has a thirty-barrel system that opened in 2021.

Hoppy imbibed a Crooked Hammock Marshberry a sour-fruited ale described as brimming with red berry flavors and creamy as a melted marshmallow, this sour ale accomplishes a mission impossible. A decadent treat in beer form that you can’t stop sipping. It is 6.5% ABV, 5 IBU.

Images follow:

The remaining pictures are from their taproom at the same location.