From ThirstyBear:
San Francisco, CA -- Thursday, September 24, 2015 -- Downtown San Francisco craft beer haven ThirstyBear Organic Brewery releases its special limited-edition WET HOP HARVEST ALE to benefit Lake and Napa County fire victims with $0.50 from each pint sold to be directly donated to Lake County LAC. Between the devastating occurrences of the Butte Fire and Valley Fire, ThirstyBear's founding brewmaster Ron Silberstein traveled to Hops-Meister Farm in Clear Lake, CA to select fresh organic hops for his harvest ale. Hops-Meister Farm was miraculously untouched by the fires, and Silberstein bands together with other Bay Area food businesses to help raise much needed funds.
"It was harvest time, and we can only use fresh hops once a year," says Silberstein. "Hops-Meister Farm is the only local organic farm that can supply us with fresh organic hops. So, I hopped in my car and met with Claudia, Marty and their daughter to pick Ivanhoe hops. I remember when they used to hand pick all the hops, now five years later, they have a harvester that delicately pulls the hops from the vine. It's a fascinating process to be a part of."
Hops-Meister Farm is a small family farm dedicated to harvesting hops steeped in history and tradition. Unlike other commercial growers who tend to cultivate the trendiest hops of the day, Hops-Meister resurrected a local hop variety from a single vine they found growing in a nearby field. Left from hop farms of more than 50 years ago, they nurtured the Ivanhoe variety back into existence on the regional terrain. Ivanhoe is a subtle, spicy hop with the aroma of sweet freshly cut grass.
"Brewing with just-picked fresh hops from a local farm is what it's all about," adds ThirstyBear Brewmaster Brenden Dobel. "Organic Ivanhoe hops are great for flavor addition and late kettle aroma. I decided to use Organic Magnum for bittering to allow us to use Ivanhoe for the later stages, to have the highest impact. Organic Crisp Floor Malted Pale Malt provided a simple malt bill, which I combined with a small portion of Carapils for body. We also 'dry-hopped' with Ivanhoe. WET HOP HARVEST ALE has a beautiful golden color, a refreshing hop bitterness, and of course, the resinous, sticky, floral character of freshly harvested, un-kilned, unpackaged, Organic Ivanhoe hops."
WET HOP HARVEST ALE will be on tap starting this week and running through the month of October 2015. Come on in for a pint and help support the Lake and Napa County fire victims.
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