Fort George Fresh (Wet Hop) IPA

Beer Name: Fresh IPA (Wet Hop India Pale Ale)
Brewery: Fort George Brewery & Public House (Astoria, OR)
ABV: 6.4%
How sold: 4-packs of 16 oz. tallboy cans
Where bought: Belmont Station (Portland, OR)
Price: $12.99 for a 4-pack

Date Canned: October 7, 2015
Date Purchased: October 10, 2015
Date Opened/Drank: October 11, 2015

When brewed? Limited-time/seasonal beer (released around early October)
Collaboration: This limited-time beer uses wet Mosaic hops from Loftus Ranches in Yakima, WA.

Ingredients: Check out the profile for Fresh IPA!

Where distributed: Fort George appears to stay local and ships to Washington, Oregon, and Idaho as of this blog post. I am not sure if they ship elsewhere. Check their Beer Finder!

What's on the Website: "Fort George Fresh IPA is like beer in 3D -- without those silly glasses. Within 24 hours of harvest, over a ton of wet Mosaic hops from Loftus Ranches were transported, delivered, and packed into the brew tanks. Using fresh hops means bold and unblemished hop oils make their way into each can. We seal in that freshness, creating a time capsule of hop aromatics. Pure canned triumph. When you break the seal you should expect hints of citrus, resin, and other fruit to flood forward, followed by a piney, earthy complexity."

REVIEW:
 

Appearance (5%): Poured the entire contents into a pint glass because it is an unfiltered beer. Presented as a clear golden color, no sediment detected in this one. A lovely couple millimeters of frothy white head, reducing to a light sudsy surface. Some lacing on the glass. 4.5/5

Smell (25%): Amazing predominant tropical aroma of passion fruit and pineapple. Awesome hop-piney notes. Exactly as advertised on the website. 4.75/5

Taste (40%): Wonderful tropical hop experience with pine. Extremely smooth, with faint lingering bitterness. Addicting, refreshing IPA. 4.75/5

Mouthfeel (10%): Medium-light body with some carbonation. Drinks incredibly easy and dangerous. 4.5/5

Overall (20%): A world-class IPA. The Wet Mosaic hops in the description sold me, and it lived up to lofty expectations. Since Fort George stays local, I was able to enjoy it a staggering four days after canning. I basically got to enjoy extremely fresh beer like the brewer intended. Brewers may love using cans because (1) aluminum does not shatter like glass; and (2) no light gets into the beer. It is a bit bittersweet due to its limited, seasonal nature, but I highly recommend that IPA lovers try this when in the Pacific Northwest during early October. Loving this one more than the Vortex IPA. 2015 marks my first experience with Fresh Hop beers, and I am quickly becoming a huge fan. 4.75/5

Final Weighted Rating: 4.525/5