The Washington Beer Awards opens registration for the Washington Beer Awards Fresh Hop Competition.

image courtesy Washington Beer Awards

Press Release

Greetings!

We are proud to invite you to enter the Washington Beer Awards Fresh Hop Competition.  We have brought back this separate competition to allow for a focused judging of fresh hop beers to allow them to be recognized in their prime.

The Fresh Hop Competition will be held in mid-October with entries due in early October, allowing you time to brew and submit a variety of fresh hop beers styles and for them to be evaluated while still in their prime.  Medals will be provided to 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners in at least nine award categories. 

The registration period will be open from September 12th to September 21st with entries due in early October.  Judging will take place October 14th, and winners will be announced on Thursday, October 19th at Growler Guys in Lake City.  Results will be posted online immediately afterwards.

The fresh hop competition will not be counted towards our main Washington Beer Awards, and participation in the fresh hop competition does not require your participation in the primary competition (and vice versa). Our goal is to recognize the unique characters of the fresh hop beers and to celebrate the harvest of the hops.

Complete details for the fresh hop component of the Washington Beer Awards will be available at www.wabeerawards.com/freshhop.  You can sign up to be kept in the loop on competition updates on the website, our e-mail list, and our Facebook page.  More details are on the other side of this letter.

We hope to have your involvement and participation in the 2023 Washington Beer Awards Fresh Hop Competition.

Cheers,
Mark Emiley and Peter Twigg
Washington Beer Awards
organizers@wabeerawards.com

Key dates for the 2023 Washington Beer Awards Fresh Hop Competition:
September 12th - 21st: Online Registration Open
September 23rd: Invoices sent to breweries
September 26th: Bottle labels sent to breweries
September 29th - October 11th: Entry Drop Window
October 14th: Blind Judging
October 19th: Awards Announcement @ Growler Guys in Lake City