There is some discussion in the ongoing Fresh Hop Season thread on the topic articulated in the above title.

I have had some limited discussion on this topic via Personal Conversation (aka Beermail) but I figured I would start this thread to solicit discussion to the larger BA community.

What exactly/specifically are the sensory characteristics that you are expecting when you purchase a Fresh/Wet hopped beer? For just one example: how do Fresh/Wet hops taste different from dried hops? Does a certain hop variety(s) have a markedly different flavor aspect when brewed with wet vs. dried? Other?

A related discussion topic is whether a beer needs to be solely brewed with Fresh/Wet hops to be considered a Fresh/Wet hopped beer. In my opinion, I think it is OK (and perhaps better?) if a dried hop is used for the bittering (i.e., beginning of boil) addition since this a more controlled way of knowing the alpha acids of the hop for prediction of bitterness (IBUs) of the finished beer. When I homebrew my annal batch of a Fresh/Wet Hopped beer I choose to use pellet hops (i.e., German Magnum hops) for the bittering addition. I add the Fresh/Wet hops at the end of boil for the aroma/flavor addition.

Cheers!

P.S. For the interested reader who would like to learn more about brewing with Fresh/Wet hops, and my recipe, you can read more here:

https://morebeer.com/blogs/articles/brewing-with-wet-fresh-hops?_pos=16&_sid=fec3b18dc&_ss=r

@John_M @ernh

I think it’s a novelty more than anything else.

I'm terrible with flavor adjectives, but I know it when I see it... errr... taste it.

And I don't think it necessarily better than regular IPA. Just a bit different and unique. Fun variation for the season.

I've read it described as "vegetative", which I guess is as good a word as any?

I've never thought about whether the character expresses differently from different varietals...I assume not?

I don't really care if the beer is 100% wet hop. What matters is how it tastes.

Agreed.
Sometimes, but not always. One of those things that relies on the brewers hand. And the hop.
Absolutely does. Not just varietals, but brewer and year. You can give the same hops to different brewers, and just they way each does things is going to produce different results.

Instead of 'vegetative' my taste experience would prefer to use 'grassiness' as a descriptor. But who's going to quibble? It's the reason why I've never taken any further interest in these beers since my first few experiences a number of years ago.

I'm no expert, but I was lucky enough to be in Seattle for early fresh hop season a few years back. Also lucky enough that every year since I've gotten a "field trip" back from a certain someone on here via beer mail.

To me the characteristics that stick out the most are the aroma, which I'd describe as just straight pungent, sort of like how weed is (no I'm not talking dank). More like I just opened a jar in my garage for two seconds and I go in the garage a ten minutes later and still get whacked in the nose with said aroma, pungent...

Then, the feel, the stickiness and resin feel seem to always be amplified to me, like it makes the mouth extra smacky, like a jolly rancher in hop form.

This guy not only understands the assignment, but accurately and concisely describes it.

What do you think is likely happening when a beer doesn't fall into this profile?

Let's assume we can trust anything the brewer claims: wet hops from current season used within 24 hours, etc.

Are the wet hops too small a part of the overall hop addition?

Did the brewery purchase sad hops? Or perhaps not transport them well?

Do they not know how to properly brew with these hops?

Something else?

As others have said, it’s hard to pin down. For me, it’s everything I love about what hops bring to beer, only more so. I’ve used the adjective “green” to describe it, and that might be the best I can do. The beer tastes more alive. If regular dried/pelletized hops are in 2D, then fresh hops are in 3D.

Definitely not a novelty or gimmick when done properly—but I’m guessing a lot of breweries have no idea how to use fresh hops since they probably don’t have access to them.

To me there's a "woodsy" character that comes through about 3x stronger than in most normal beers. It's unmistakable if the beer is fresh and the brewers know what they're doing. To me, it's almost like the smell of walking through a forest. It's absolutely a real thing and it can be night and day different in the right hands. Trick is, it isn't always good. When it works, it can take a good beer and make it great. When it doesn't, it can amplify everything you don't like (chalkiness, harsh bitterness, a weird burn on your gums, skunky ditch weed notes, etc.) and it can be intolerable. Even from otherwise good brewers and with hop varieties you normally like. It's a fun experiment and I'd recommend everyone make a trek to the PNW during early fall at least once to see what it's really all about. Just know that just because something is fresh hopped doesn't mean it'll be good.

"candied bell peppers" at best for me; a big juicy pyrazine hit

The characteristics I expect are sticky, resin like, from the whole hops fresh inner core. You can smell this directly in breaking open the hops when fresh, very different than dried hops aroma. I also expect a distinct earthiness, which I think comes from all the vegetable matter in the hops. You definitely don't get that in a typical dried hop beer.

I think it is perfectly acceptable to use pellets in the boil, you are not going to get much bitterness from whole hops and just whole hops size/water absorption makes using more of them prohibitive.

All that said, I usually appreciate but don't love wet hop beers. Perhaps I am just so acclimated to the more polished / controllable product that dried hops allows.

Is there more vegetable matter though? I thought it was equivalent to dried whole cone hops in that regard.

There's more water weight and so recipes call for a higher quantity vs dried hops.

So maybe the difference actually partially comes from the water itself?

I ascribe a couple of different things to “fresh hop character” in these beers:

1) My favorite is a light sweetness similar to the syrup from fruit cocktail, or the transition from melon flesh to melon rind.

2) Green vibrancy: I’d call it fresh cut grass over vegetal, but more like plant-iness. This should be an accent and not the main character.

3) Amplified varietal character: the best analogy I have here is the difference between fresh squeezed orange juice and concentrate. Not drastically different flavors but more depth and nuance.

Whoa!?!

I didn't even know there was such a thing. I will add this to my list of culinary things I need to try to expand my beer sensory analysis skills.

Cheers!

can't imagine they're a best-seller in the candy store...

I think you are right. I tend to think of fresh whole hops versus pellets as that is the standard approach. Although, a whole hop versus fresh whole hop would still be a slightly different.

I do think fresh hops smell different then dried hops. Just a couple of weeks later after picking, say after drying, they seem less alive, and that vegetable matter is just superfluous now. Before, it seemed maybe edible. Kind of like lettuce fresh versus old lettuce, a transformation has happened as the leaves dried out, along with the water loss.

The descriptor of “fresh cut grass” has been mentioned a few times in this thread (so far).

This was a topic I discussed with another BA via a Conversation (Beermail). I have tasted a number of fresh/wet hopped beers including my annual batch of Harvest Ale. I have yet to perceive “fresh cut grass” in any of those beers. On a related note, I will be cutting my lawn in a few hours.

Maybe my palate is ‘blind’ to “fresh cut grass”? Maybe only certain hop varieties while fresh/wet exhibit this “fresh cut grass” character? Maybe…?

Cheers!

P.S. FWIW I enjoy the smell of “fresh cut grass”. One of the few positives of mowing my own lawn (most of my neighbors hire landscapers to mow their lawns).

I only did a very quick web search but it seems like this is more of a home made thing vs. a commercial product. Maybe some people sell this at Farmers Markets?

Cheers!