Reference · Wet Hop Beers · Annual Releases

The wet hop and fresh hop beer directory

A curated reference of the wet hop and fresh hop beers released annually in the United States — what each one is, when to expect it, where to look, and how rare it gets.

For the science of how wet hop and fresh hop brewing works, see our field guide to hop harvest season. This page is the directory — a working list of every notable harvest-season release worth tracking, with shipping dates, distribution patterns, and what makes each one distinctive.

Most of these beers are released between mid-September and late October, with peak shelf availability the first two weeks of October. Distribution patterns vary wildly — Sierra Nevada Northern Hemisphere shows up nationally; Bale Breaker's wet hops are taproom-only. Travel and timing matter.

How to use this directory

Filter by category to narrow the list. Wet hop means undried hops used within 24 hours of picking. Fresh hop is dried hops used within weeks. Distributed means available in multiple states; Rare means brewery-only or extremely limited.

The directory

Beer	Style & release	What you should know
Sierra Nevada · Chico, CA Northern Hemisphere Harvest IPA Wet hop Nationally distributed	6.7% ABV West Coast IPA Released late September Wet Cascade + Centennial	The American wet hop archetype, brewed annually since 1996. Hops picked in Yakima, trucked overnight 800 miles to Chico, in the kettle within 24 hours. Earthy, green up front; grapefruit and pine finish. The benchmark.
Sierra Nevada · Chico, CA Celebration Fresh Hop IPA Fresh hop Nationally distributed	6.8% ABV American IPA Released early November Cascade + Centennial + Chinook	Predates Northern Hemisphere by 15 years (since 1981). Uses kiln-dried hops within weeks of harvest. The single most influential American hop-forward beer of the last 40 years — and arguably the original fresh hop beer in the modern American craft sense.
Sierra Nevada · Chico, CA Estate Homegrown Ale Wet hop Rare	6.7% ABV West Coast IPA Released October Estate hops + estate barley	Wet hops AND barley grown on Sierra Nevada's Chico property. The shortest farm-to-kettle chain possible. Smaller production than Northern Hemisphere; harder to find but worth the hunt for the on-property terroir angle.
Sierra Nevada · Chico, CA Southern Hemisphere Harvest IPA Fresh hop Distributed	6.7% ABV West Coast IPA Released spring (March–May) New Zealand hops air-shipped	The off-season counterpart to Northern Hemisphere. Uses fresh-dried New Zealand hops flown to California within hours of kilning. Different hop varieties (Nelson Sauvin, Motueka, etc.) yield a distinctly white-wine and gooseberry-forward profile.
Deschutes · Bend, OR Hop Trip Fresh Hop Pale Ale Wet hop Distributed	5.4% ABV Pale Ale Released October Crystal hops · Sodbuster Farms, OR	Single-farm Crystal hops trucked from Salem, Oregon. The geographic advantage shows: the hops travel under three hours from field to brewery. Floral, spicy, mild citrus. One of the better-engineered wet hop programs.
Deschutes · Bend, OR Fresh Hop Mirror Pond Fresh hop Distributed	5.0% ABV Pale Ale Released October Fresh-picked Cascade	A fresh hop version of Deschutes' year-round flagship Mirror Pond Pale Ale. Direct A/B comparison opportunity — taste the regular Mirror Pond alongside the fresh hop edition to feel the harvest character on a familiar template.
Founders · Grand Rapids, MI Harvest Ale Wet hop Distributed	7.6% ABV American IPA Released October Pacific NW wet hops, flown	Founders flies wet hops from the Pacific Northwest to Michigan each fall — a logistical extreme that delivers Yakima Valley character to the Great Lakes. Juicier and more modern-IPA in profile than older West Coast wet hops.
Three Floyds · Munster, IN Broo Doo Harvest Ale Wet hop Regional only	7.0% ABV American IPA Released October Various Yakima wet hops	3 Floyds' annual wet hop release. The brewery's typically aggressive hop approach translates to a more restrained-than-usual fresh-hop expression. Limited Midwest distribution; chased in the secondary market when it lands.
Bell's · Comstock, MI Harvest Ale Wet hop Distributed	~7.5% ABV American IPA Released October Pacific NW wet hops	Earthier and more balanced than modern hazy interpretations. Bell's brewing program remains rooted in the older American IPA tradition — wet hops here amplify a classic profile rather than reinvent it.
Victory · Downingtown, PA Harvest Ale Wet hop Distributed (East Coast)	6.5% ABV American IPA Released early October Yakima wet hops, shipped	The most consistent East Coast wet hop program. Victory sources from Yakima and brews the harvest edition first week of October. Strong Mid-Atlantic distribution.
Cloudburst · Seattle, WA Fresh Hop seasonal series Wet hop WA-only	Varies IPA / Pale Ale Released Sept–Oct Single-variety showcases	Rotating series of single-hop fresh hop beers, often picked the day before brewing. Hyper-local — rarely distributed beyond Washington. The Cloudburst taproom in September is one of the best places in America to taste wet hops.
Bale Breaker · Yakima, WA Field 41 Fresh Hop + others Wet hop Taproom + WA	Varies American IPA / Pale Ale Released September Estate-grown wet hops	Bale Breaker sits on a multi-generational hop farm in the middle of Yakima Valley. The hops literally walk from the field to the kettle. As short a supply chain as exists in American craft brewing.
Russian River · Santa Rosa, CA Hop 2 It Wet hop Brewpub-only	~5.5% ABV Pale Ale Released October Northern California wet hops	Vinnie Cilurzo's wet hop pale ale, released annually at the Russian River brewpubs (Santa Rosa, Windsor). Cilurzo's interpretation tends toward restraint — balanced rather than aggressive. Brewpub-only or extremely limited distribution.
Fat Head's · Cleveland, OH Fresh Hop Built for Speed IPA Wet hop Regional	~6.5% ABV American IPA Released October Multiple wet varieties	A wet hop version of Fat Head's flagship Built for Speed. Strong Midwest and Mid-Atlantic distribution. Worth a comparison drink against the year-round version to feel the harvest character.
Great Divide · Denver, CO Fresh Hop Pale Ale Wet hop Regional	~5.5% ABV Pale Ale Released October Pacific NW wet hops	Colorado's wet hop entry. Great Divide sources from the Pacific Northwest and brews a single-batch fresh hop pale annually. Less hyped than Sierra Nevada or Founders but a solid representative of the category.
Lagunitas · Petaluma, CA Born Yesterday Fresh Hop Pale Ale Wet hop Distributed	6.5% ABV Pale Ale Released October Same-week wet hops	A fresh hop variant of Lagunitas' Pale Ale Born and Bred. The hops are picked, packaged, and shipped to Lagunitas within roughly one week. "Born yesterday" is closer to literal than marketing.
Hopworks · Portland, OR Fresh Hop series Wet hop OR + regional	Varies IPA / Pale Released Sept–Oct Oregon-grown wet hops	Portland-based brewery with strong Oregon farm relationships. Multiple wet hop releases per harvest, often single-farm or single-variety showcases. Limited beyond the Pacific Northwest.
Full Sail · Hood River, OR Lupulin Fresh Hop IPA Wet hop Regional	6.0% ABV American IPA Released October Pacific NW wet hops	Hood River brewery in the heart of Oregon hop country. Lupulin is their flagship fresh hop release. Distributed regionally throughout the Pacific Northwest.
Widmer · Portland, OR Liberty Fresh Hop Lager Wet hop OR + regional	~5.0% ABV Lager Released October Oregon wet hops	A rare wet hop LAGER rather than IPA. Demonstrates that fresh hop character translates beyond ale formats — the cleaner lager profile makes the harvest hops the dominant flavor signature.
Pelican · Pacific City, OR Mother of All Storms (fresh hop variant) Wet hop Coastal OR	~7.0% ABV American IPA Released October Oregon coast brewing	Pelican's annual wet hop variant. Coastal Oregon location, very limited distribution. The taproom in Pacific City is a destination during fresh hop season.
Almanac · San Francisco, CA Fresh Hop series Wet hop CA-only	Varies IPA / Sour Released September–October California wet hops	Almanac sometimes incorporates wet hops into their barrel-aged and mixed-fermentation program in addition to IPAs. An unusual application — wet hops in sour beer context. Worth seeking out the years they do it.
Block 15 · Corvallis, OR Sticky Hands Fresh Hop Wet hop OR-only	~8.0% ABV American DIPA Released October Oregon wet hops	A wet hop edition of Block 15's flagship Sticky Hands DIPA. Bigger ABV, bolder hop charge than the typical wet hop pale. Limited Oregon distribution; worth a trip to Corvallis or Portland during October.

Distribution patterns and timing

Wet hop beers fall into roughly three distribution patterns, each requiring a different acquisition strategy:

National distribution (easy)

Sierra Nevada Northern Hemisphere, Sierra Nevada Celebration, Founders Harvest, Bell's Harvest, Victory Harvest, and Lagunitas Born Yesterday all distribute nationally. If you live in a state with reasonable craft beer access, these will show up on shelves between mid-September and late October. The freshness varies wildly by distribution distance — Chico-to-California shipping is faster than Chico-to-Florida.

Regional distribution (medium)

Three Floyds Broo Doo, Great Divide Fresh Hop, Fat Head's Built for Speed, Deschutes Hop Trip, and most of the Pacific Northwest breweries distribute regionally — strong presence in their home regions but spotty beyond. If you live in the Pacific Northwest, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, or Mountain West, you'll see most options; coastal-state drinkers outside these regions see fewer.

Taproom-only (hardest, often best)

Bale Breaker, Cloudburst, Hopworks, Pelican, Block 15, Russian River, and many smaller Pacific Northwest breweries release wet hops as brewery-only or extremely limited beers. These are typically the freshest wet hops available — shortest supply chain — but require physical presence at the brewery. The September trip to Oregon or Washington is the only way to taste this tier broadly.

What's NOT here (and why)

This directory focuses on annually-released, repeatedly-brewed wet hop and fresh hop beers. We've intentionally excluded:

One-off collaborations — many breweries do single-year wet hop collabs that don't repeat. Worth tasting if you find them but not predictable annual entries.
"Fresh hop" in name only — some breweries market regular IPAs as "fresh hop" because the dried hops were used within a few months of harvest. By strict definitions these aren't fresh hop beers in the harvest-season sense.
Hop oil extract or cryo-hop beers — modern brewing techniques like cryogenic hop concentrates achieve some similar flavor effects but aren't wet hop or fresh hop in the traditional sense.
European harvest releases — German and Czech breweries make wet hop beers (Grünhopfen, frischhopfen, etc.) but they're rarely exported to the US in their fresh form. A separate guide on European harvest beers is warranted.

Help us improve this directory

This list represents annual releases as of the 2026 harvest. Brewery programs change year to year — some discontinue wet hop programs, others launch new ones. If you know a notable wet hop or fresh hop beer we missed, or one we've listed has been discontinued, let us know.