At Glacier Tanks, we know that great beer starts with great ingredients, and when it comes to brewing in September, fresh hops are the stars of the show. As we head into hop harvest season for the Northern hemisphere, brewers have a special opportunity to craft something extraordinary—vibrant, aromatic beers brewed with fresh or wet hops.
Fresh hops and wet hops often get mixed up, but there’s a slight distinction. Depending on the provider, fresh hops can be air-dried for a short time before use, while wet hops skip the drying process entirely and are used straight from the bine. This makes wet hops especially prized for their bright, aromatic qualities, but they also bring some brewing challenges. With wet hops retaining around 80% of their water content, brewers need to use up to six times more wet hops by weight compared to dried hops. This extra volume affects recipes, batch sizes, and requires extra care with gravity readings to ensure a balanced profile.
For many, the appeal of wet hops lies in the fresh, grassy, and herbal notes they add to beer—flavors and aromas that dried hops simply can’t replicate. However, these compounds are incredibly delicate, and the wet cones must be used quickly, ideally within 6 to 8 hours of harvesting, to capture their full potential.
Hops have been an essential part of U.S. brewing since the early 1800s, originally grown in New York State until disease and Prohibition shifted production to the Pacific Northwest. Today, Washington, Oregon, and Idaho produce over 95% of the country’s hops, with Washington’s Yakima Valley alone responsible for 70% of U.S. production. These hops fuel the creativity of brewers worldwide, helping shape the bold flavors of American craft beer.
The craft brewing boom of the ‘80s and ‘90s sparked a renewed demand for hops, especially the aroma varieties that define iconic IPAs. Following a hop shortage in 2008, many small breweries turned to local hop farms, fostering the growth of more regional producers. Now, fresh, locally sourced hops are easier to come by, making wet-hopped beers a seasonal staple for breweries large and small.
While dry-hopped IPAs maintain their decade-long stranglehold on the top spots of most any taplist, there has been growing research in developing a better understanding of the nuance behind the flavor and aroma development that wet-hopped beers offer. Dry-hopping, which adds hops during fermentation, extracts maximum aroma without the bitterness, creating the bold, hop-forward flavors that consumers love. But wet-hop beers offer something different—fresh, seasonal flavors that stand out from the usual IPA profile, and are adaptable to a broad range of style, from pale ales to lagers. The limited-time availability of wet-hop beers creates quite a ‘fomo’ effect, encouraging customers to get them while they can - and much like desirable vintages of wine, these unique agricultural products result in similarly unique beers, creating fleeting annual experiences.
While brewing with fresh hops is exciting, it does require some adjustments and careful planning. Wet hops contain a lot of water, meaning brewers need to use significantly more, by both volume and weight, which can affect everything from equipment capacity to the beer’s final gravity. To manage this, we suggest sticking with dried hop pellets during the early stages of the boil for establishing a predictable bitterness profile, and reserving wet hops for late in the process—like whirlpooling, hop stands, or fermentation additions—where their fresh flavors can shine without introducing too much unpredictability.
Brewing with wet hops puts extra demands on your equipment, particularly due to the sheer volume of plant material involved. We offer a variety of brewing vessels—including kettles, whirlpool tanks, and pressurizable mobile dosing tanks—designed to handle the increased volume and ensure easy cleaning afterward. Our equipment is built to accommodate the unique needs of wet-hop brewing, making it easier for brewers to produce exceptional fresh hop beers. For example, our JMPV series of pressurizable tanks have heavy-duty locking casters and large top manways, allowing you to easily fill with wet cones fresh from the field, purge your vessel of oxygen via a low-mounted inlet using one of our carbonation stones, and circulate through your chosen wet hops using our cart pump. This makes wet-hopping easy to perform, and easy to clean, all while ensuring minimal O2 pickup during extraction.
For craft breweries, offering a seasonal wet-hop beer is a fantastic way to differentiate your lineup and attract customers. Here are some ways to make the most of this short but exciting season:
As the craft beer scene continues to evolve, wet-hop beers are sure to remain a seasonal favorite. For breweries, the chance to work with fresh, local ingredients and create something truly unique is a great way to build brand loyalty and keep customers coming back for more.
At Glacier Tanks, we’re here to support your brewing ambitions, offering a range of both hot-side and cold-side vessels, and an ever-growing selection of supporting parts and fittings, specifically designed to help you make the most of wet-hop season.
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michael hatcher