Freshhop is back for its second year, the brewers of Auckland learnt a considerable amount last yearwith our first Freshhop in 2014. Now they are using the lessons learnt and this year they are brewingusing two varieties of Hops; Motueka and Sauvin.

In 2014 they used Waimea, this year Auckland Beer Lovers get the chance to try something new withnot one but two new hops. These delicious beverages will be found on tap around the Craft BeerBars in the Auckland Region.

The big difference between Freshhop beers and other beers is that the hops are picked fresh andbrewed with as soon as possible. Hops are picked in the morning in Nelson then taken to a site forfield heat to be taken out of them. They are then placed in a chilled truck and driven to Auckland asfast as legally permitted to keep them as fresh as possible. The truck is met by a group of eagerbrewers who take their hops immediately to their breweries to plunge them into their barley wortsthey have created and at the end they have a Freshhop beer.

If you can envisage the difference in cooking between using Fresh Coriander vs. Dried Coriander youare getting the gist of it. The Freshhop beer has more natural resins, more aroma and more flavour.Many of the beers are designed to allow the hops to be the main aroma and flavour component ofthe beer.

This is a unique once in a year opportunity to use the Hops as fresh as they can be and it isnot a tasting opportunity to be missed by anyone who likes the greatest beverage of all…Beer!

There will be Eleven Auckland Brewers creating twelve different beers. These will be released on the23rd of April in Nineteen bars across the Auckland region from Warkworth to Manakau and across toRiverhead. We shall be inviting the public to register with us and vote on which beer they liked themost and will go into a draw to win some great brewery gear from the brewers.

An Awards Function is scheduled at 16 Tun in Wynyard Quarter on Friday 1st May to announce thewinners to the public, brewers and bars. Award categories covering best beer (people’s choice) andbest activation/promotion by a craft beer bar on the theme of Freshhop Beers.

In the meantime get on to www.freshhop.co.nz
Facebook.com/freshhopnz15

Twitter: #freshhopnz2015