LIMITED RELEASE: FRESH HOP IPA
We're very excited to announce that this year's batch of limited-edition, Fresh Hop IPA is now availabe!
For this year's brew, our team went with Southern Passion Hops, an aromatic symphony of passion fruit, melon, litchi and guava. You can also expect nuances of fresh-cut grass, summer rain and earth tones. It's friggin' delicious to say the least!
Make sure to order yours online before they sell out, or grab it from one of the stockists listed below.
We spoke to Malcom Human our Head of Operations and Ryan Behnken, our Shift Lead Brewer, to find out more about this year's extra special Fresh Hop IPA brew...
Can you share more about the inspiration behind choosing Southern Passion hops for this year's Fresh Hop brew?
Southern Passion is a wonderful and aromatic hop – as the name suggests it has a flavour profile in the fruity spectrum and is a passion fruit bomb! It really suits this beer and we can really make the fresh hops shine!
How does the Fresh Hop brew allow the brewers to push boundaries and express their creativity in crafting a distinctive beer?
Every year we make a couple of limited release beers and yes, our brewers are encouraged to push the boundaries of their creativity with these beers. We make small changes each year in an effort to make the best beer possible. Over the years we have made many changes to the recipe and process – the ultimate goal is for the hops to shine.
Head Brewer, Nico du Plessis, mentioned keeping the malt aroma low to let the hops shine. Can you elaborate on the decision-making process behind this and how it enhances the overall profile of Fresh Hop?
Originally this beer was a full-blown West Coast Style IPA – ample malt body, orange-amber in colour and 6.9 ABV. A big beer that was quite malt-forward.
After the first couple of versions, we realised that we weren’t doing the name “fresh hop” much justice as the hops weren’t the star of the show. In 2021 we made our first batch of fresh hop with a lower ABV, less crystal malt and a less complicated malt bill, which allow the hops to have centre stage with support from the malt.
This version had a higher level of attenuation too, making it crisp and dryer. The hops was the star of the show, and we knew we were on to something. We’ve had a couple of iterations since – each year getting closer to perfection. We hope this year’s batch is a step closer to absolutely nailing it.
Could you walk us through the stages of the brewing process where hops were added and explain how this ensures maximum utilisation.
Working with fresh hops is tough – you don’t really know the exact amount of alpha acids, and these whole cones have a lot of vegetative matter – it takes up a lot of space and the cones have a tendency to block transfer lines and heat exchangers. We add the hops in various stages – a little bit is added in the lauter tun (although this addition is mostly ceremonial). We add some in the kettle for bittering, but most of the hops is added in the whirlpool. The final addition is through a hop back during the transfer into the fermenters where we get maximum aroma and flavour utilization. We really try to maximise flavour and aroma extraction through these late additions.
How would you describe the mouthfeel of Fresh Hop, considering the decision to keep the malt aroma low and achieve a crisp finish?
The mouthfeel of this beer should be crisp – but not overly dry. We are expecting a well-balanced beer where the malt supports the fresh oils of the hops.
There you have it, a beautiful labour of passion from our brewers and we can't wait to share it with everyone. Our Fresh Hop IPA has become a bit of a cult-classic so make sure to pick up your Fresh Hop IPA stock before it sells out. Cheers!
FRESH HOP IPA STOCKIST LIST:
Western Cape:
Biggest Little Beer Shop
Constantia Wine and Craft
Claremont Liquor City
Shorties Liquor
Beer Merchant
Jack Black's Taproom
Fools and Fans
Woodstock Liquors
tops Bergvliet
Bar keeper
Seeding Stock
Kloof nek blue bottle
Kommetjie Liquors
Spar Tops Bottelary
Spar Tops Circle Centre
Spar Tops Constantia
Spar Tops De Helderbosch
Spar Tops De Jonker
Spar Tops Melkbosstrand
Spar Tops Old Oak
Spar Tops Parklands
Spar Tops Paul Roos
Spar Tops Protea Hoogte
Spar Tops Stellenbosch
Spar Tops Vredekloof
Spar Tops Royal Ascot
Gauteng:
Father coffee
Tops Radiokop
Loco liquor Blairgowrie
Loco Liquor Windsor
Loco Liquor Crownthorne
Blue Bottle Centurion
Liquor City Groenkloof
Liquor City Farrar Square
Tabooz Dainfern
Tops Ouklip
Bluebottle Brackengate
Liquor City highlands
Castle Walk Liquor City
Eastern Cape:
Jeffery's Bay:
Tops wavecrest
JB Beach Liquor store
Jbay Liquors
Port Elizabeth:
Newton Park Tops
Forest Hill Liquors
Sunridge Tops
Port Alfred
Rosehill Tops
Durban:
Coming soon.