Two Beers Fresh Hop 2009

"Hops" by the Oregon State University Archives

We honestly don't really care where our beer comes from as long as it tastes good. Words like "beechwood aged," "cold filtered," or "triple hopped" bounce off our skulls like a dodge ball. However Two Beers, a brewery in the SoDo neighborhood is different--Two Beers was started by a man with no prior brewing experience. Joel VandenBrink started the brewery last year in a storage unit. He's been operating at the new location for several months and, like many other breweries, he has made a fall beer. Called a "Fresh Hop," the beer derives its name from taking hops straight from the vine and adding them to the beer instead of using more traditional dried up hops.

Fresh Hop 2009 (7.5%) pours a clear abyss of deep amber that produces a strong initial foamy head which rests on top before receding, leaving behind a cobweb lace inside the glass. As it is runs underneath the nose, a waft of floral sweetness meshes well with grapefruit and subtle pine. Sipping this, you pick up mild earthiness (almost grass-like), along with strong grapefruit citrus before the caramel is detected mid-way. It finishes with additional--but mild--hop bitterness. Overall, this beer isn't heavy on the tongue and would kill with a hearty BLT or even some beer-battered fish and chips.

Regrettably, this beer is only available on draft at places like Brouwer's Cafe, Naked City Taphouse & Brewery, Roosevelt Alehouse, and outlying areas. Want to know where else to find it? Give Joel a call at the brewery (206-491-1439), or drop on by Thursday or Friday from 3-7.