Category: Castle Danger

2025 Wet Hop Season is Here

By on October 19, 2025in Castle Danger, general beer

The hop harvest of 2025 spawned some locally made wet hop beers once again. The hop harvest season generally runs from late August to early October, but most breweries begin brewing them during peak season which happens around mid-September.

These beers are made while the hops are still wet which is within 48 hours of being picked. This is part of which makes these beers so special. These are often marketed as fresh hop beers (though the definition between wet and fresh is different) and are in the market by early October. You will want to consume them quickly as they expire much sooner than traditionally crafted beers.

Here are a few that are currently in liquor stores here in the Twin Cities.

Fresh Hop ‘25 – Castle Danger Brewing

Brewed with PINK (ID-158) hops from Idaho, this classic west coast IPA hits big with strawberry flavors and is slightly tart. Fruit forward without being sweet. This clocks at 6.5% ABV and is sold in 4 packs of 12 oz cans.

Fresh Hop Strata Hazy IPA – Venn Brewing

Strata hops from Oregon are the star of Venn’s iteration this year. Tropical fruits (mango mostly) and cannabis dominate the flavor profile of this Hazy IPA. It’s a bit of an odd choice to showcase fresh hops with a Hazy IPA, but it works oddly well with this one. Coming in at 6.5% ABV and available at the brewery in 4 packs of 16 oz cans.

Fresh Bier – Haggard Barrel Brewing

This was by far the most interesting of the bunch. Constructed of wild Minnesota hops (within one hour of being picked) from someone’s backyard, lager yeast harvested from the historic St. Paul beer caves, and locally grown Pilsner and spelt malt. This results in a beer that is honeydew melon forward with a nice slightly sour funk to it. This lager is light bodied and suitable for crushing. 5% ABV. Found at the brewery in 6 packs of 12 oz cans. Also available at Zipp’s and Wine Thief and Ale Jail.

Cheers!

Town Hall Lanes Fresh Hop Fest

By on October 6, 2016in Bad Weather Brewing Co., Badger Hill Brewing, breweries, Castle Danger, Indeed Brewing Co., Lift Bridge, North Loop BrewCo, Northbound Smokehouse

fresh-hops

Fresh hop beers are very popular these days, and the folks over at Town Hall take their hops seriously. This is why they are hosting the fourth annual Fresh Hop Fest on October 22nd from 1 – 5 pm at the bowling alley in south Minneapolis.

Fresh hop beers are expensive to make in that the demand is so high for them, and the timing (should be used within 24 – 48 hours) from bine to brew kettle is so crucial. The hops are in fact still wet (and can be quite a mess) so brewers need a larger volume of them than with dry pellets. We’d actually be better off defining these as wet hop beers.

The brewery itself consistently brews one of the best fresh hop beers every year, and they enjoy celebrating with other breweries—local and national. Fresh Hop 100 and Fresh Hop Dry will be available along with offerings from Badger Hill, Bad Weather Brewing, Castle Danger, Dark Horse Brewing, Indeed, Founders, Lagunitas, Sierra Nevada, Northbound Smokehouse, Odell, Lift Bridge, North Loop, and more.

Tickets are available for $7, but you’ll need tasting tickets ($2 each) if you want to enjoy the beers. VIP tickets are the way to go for this event. They’ll run you $37—but you get unlimited tastings, a tasting glass, exclusive VIP beers, a game of bowling, and a t-shirt.

If you’re a fan of hops, you should really check this out. These beers are only available once a year.

 

Saturday, October 22nd from 1 – 5 pm
Town Hall Lanes
5019 S 34th Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55417