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Welcome to the sticky, green hop-cone future where the 2022 WW-sponsored Oregon Beer Awards are happening today! Or actually they happened last weekend, in Milwaukie.
Although the 2022 Oregon Beer Awards are slated to take place on April 16, 2022, the Fresh Hop category always needs to be judged during hop harvest season. Fresh hop beers are made from undried hop cones, within 24 hours of being picked. That extra effort turns out some very specific and unique flavors of beer, most of which are only available on tap.
Divided into three fresh hop categories, judges chose winners for Pale Ales and India Pale Ales (73 entries), Hazy Pale Ales and India Pale Ales (20 entries), and Other Fresh Hop Beers (30 entries). In all, 55 breweries participated in the competition. Compared to the years before, we saw a number of names hang onto their cone crowns—Breakside foremost but Ruse and Zoiglhaus making good showings as well.
Fresh hops lovers will want to get out there and sample some of the winners, while they’re still pouring. So here in beer future, WW has the list of 2022 winners for all your fresh hop hunting around town:
Fresh Hop Pale Ales and India Pale Ales
Breakside Brewery Fresh Hop Chinook IPA (gold)
Migration Brewing Fresh Coast IPA (silver)
Breakside Brewery Fresh Hop Strata Wanderjack (bronze)
Fresh Hop Hazy Pale Ales and India Pale Ales
Deschutes Brewery Strut Your Strata (gold)
McMenamins Old Saint Francis School Little Green Bag (silver)
Ruse Brewing Identical Truths (bronze)
Other Fresh Hop Beers
Baerlic Brewing Co. Pioneer ESB (gold)
Breakside Brewery Fresh Hop Sterling Pilsner (silver)
Zoiglhaus Brewing Co. Fresh Hop Kolsch (bronze)
Related: Through Disease and Wildfire, Fresh Hop Beer Season Arrives. Here’s What to Seek Out.