Fresh hop festivals in Seattle: The Pine Box's Fresh Hop Fest starts this afternoon, October 1, at 3pm. The Randalls will be making an appearance with twelve hop varietals. More details on the Facebook event page. On October 12, The 3rd Annual Washington vs. Oregon Fresh Hop Throwdown happens at the Noble Fir in Ballard. According to Seattle Beer News, customers will be able to sample wet hop beers from nine Washington and six Oregon breweries. No cover, just pay for the beers you drink. 

In the mood for a field trip? Yakima's 11th Annual Fresh Hop Festival starts at 5pm on October 5th, just in case you were needing an excuse to make a beercentric escape this weekend. 

Fresh Hops 101: The majority of American hops are grown in Washington and Oregon. Hops, which look like tiny artichokes and grow on a vine called a "bine," are only harvested for a brief time each year. When the hops are used fresh off the bine, or, "wet," the result is a grassy, fresh tasting beer that only lasts about six weeks.