Autumn Hop Harvest Ale - Amsterdam Brewery (Canada - Ontario - Toronto)

Autumn Hop Harvest Ale - Amsterdam Brewery (Canada - Ontario - Toronto) 5.6%

Herbal, citrus (orange and a hint of grapefruit), a bit floral, pine and sticky resin rounds out hops character of the aroma while there is also some earthiness and biscuit and honey tones from the malty body. Clear full gold in a glass.

To go along with its moderately hoppy flavour and sweet grain tones, this beer made with fresh hops (as in added without being dried first) has a pleasant peppery earthiness. The combination of spice and earth tones feels to me a bit like autumn incarnate (distillate?) which I think is perfect for a seasonal such as Autumn Hop Harvest Ale. The aftertaste is moderately bitter hops that tastes of pine as well as a little herbal, citrus and some resin too. This is a nice American Pale Ale in its own right but I feel it also is a good example of the appeal of fresh hop beers and the variety they can bring.

Saison Harvest Ale - Rockbottom Brewpub (Canada - Nova Scotia - Halifax)

Saison Harvest Ale - Rockbottom Brewpub (Canada - Nova Scotia - Halifax) 5.0%

A touch sour, spicy and floral with quite a bit of green and bitter hops. Quite a bitter finish. A brownish amber in a glass that reminds me of tanned leather. This mix of flavours is entirely consistent with hoppy version of the style. Saison beers typically have a touch of that sour taste and the way Rockbottom incorporated wet hops fresh from the harvest is really nice. Interestingly, the yeast used in this beer is from the same colony that has been used for three years now by the brewmaster Greg Nash.

Rockbottom's Saison Harvest Ale is an example of a rash of new beers from the Maritime Provinces that use fresh or "wet" hops (to indicate that they haven't been dried). Brewers in the Maritimes have the opportunity to use wet hops during harvest time now that numerous hop farms big and small have sprung up all across the region.

3 Fields Harvest - Garrison Brewing (Canada - Nova Scotia - Halifax)

3 Fields Harvest - Garrison Brewing (Canada - Nova Scotia - Halifax) 6.3%

A full orange-hued gold in a glass; slightly cloudy though I saw no sediment. Good frothy head with lacing. A coppery, honeyed, hoppy aroma with hints of grape juice. Quite sweet but with a balancing bitter taste. The source of the aroma I had likened to grape juice has divided in the taste into floral and resiny hops with nectar tones and almost citrus, as well as a malt character that faintly borders on raw along some toasty bread tastes. There is a suggestion in the flavour and aroma that reminds me of fallen leaves in the fall which is actually quite nice and certainly seems to suit the season.

Garrison 3 Fields Harvest is an example of a rash of new beers from the Maritime Provinces that use fresh or "wet" hops (to indicate that they haven't been dried). Brewers in the Maritimes have the opportunity to use wet hops during harvest time now that numerous hop farms big and small have sprung up all across the region.

Picaroons Harvest Ale (Canada - New Brunswick - Fredericton)

Picaroons Harvest Ale (Canada - New Brunswick - Fredericton) 5.5%

A green hop aroma with some resin and celery, sweet malt and earthiness. It is very foamy and has a super frothy head and spectacular lacing. Copper coloured in a glass.


Quite bitter with a mix of nice hop flavours: green vegetal tastes, touches of resin. In addition to the hops, Harvest Ale has some balancing malt sweetness, though the hops win out, and a touch of earthiness. All in all a nice tasting beer.

Picaroons Harvest Ale is an example of a rash of new beers from the Maritime Provinces that use fresh or "wet" hops (to indicate that they haven't been dried). Brewers in the Maritimes have the opportunity to use wet hops during harvest time now that numerous hop farms big and small have sprung up all across the region. It certainly is an exciting time to be a craft beer lover. Picaroons has included on their label a stamp to indicate variety of hop the farm and batch from which the hops originated and even a link to a page on their main website that identifies the farmers. Pretty great community building.