Persephone Brewing – Harvest ‘Fresh Hop’ IPA: Brewed in Gibsons, this fresh hop IPA comes in at a strength of 6.5% with an undisclosed IBU rating from fresh Cascade and Centennial hops that they grew themselves on their own hop farm. I am really enjoying this year’s local fresh hop offerings so I was more than happy to pick up a couple of these shortly after it was released. I am still on the hunt for a few more offerings from other breweries before the freshness runs out as these are best drank as fresh as possible. Anyway, back to Persephone who has managed to generate some excitement in the local industry and produce some high quality beers worth trying. Be sure to check out their website for more details on their 11 acre farm and brewery.

Flavour: This beer starts off with some bready malt and a touch of juicy oily orange which is quickly followed by some caramel in the middle and a dry floral woodsy bitter finish that lingers on your palate forever.

Overall Impression: This beer is quite balanced with a great malt backbone and some floral herbal hop characteristics, the fresh hops are slightly muted compared to some others however the beer is quite delicious,

Rating: I give it an excellent rating of 8/10, one I will repeat for sure.

Food Pairing: I suggest drinking your fresh hop beer on it’s own, they are so unique and limited that pairing it could harm some of the more delicate flavours and in this one the fresh hop flavours are a bit subtle.

Fresh hops are an interesting seasonal beer that can create challenges for the brewers based on the quality of the harvest, the time it takes to harvest and some unique challenges in the brewing process. I found this great video by Beer! The Show hosted by Michael Fezz Nazerec that outlines the process that Persephone went through to brew with their hops. Please watch the video and go here to see more.