Brau Brothers Hundred Yard Dash

While looking through my fridge recently, I came across a few beers that I've been neglecting. I had good intentions of saving them for my next beer session, but for one reason or another I never got around to them. I plan to get to them over the next couple weeks (hopefully).

I decided to start with the oldest of the "forgotten" beers: Brau Brothers Hundred Yard Dash. This was a brand new offering from the brewery last fall and is a fresh hop ale.

What's a fresh hop ale? Also known as wet hop ale, these beers are made with hops very soon (sometimes immediately) after they are harvested from the bines. As some of you may already know, hops are usually dried to help preserve them for longer periods of time. Taking the moisture out of them prevents rotting, molding, and other spoilage. However, drying the hops also slightly lessens some of their aromas and flavors. A fresh hop (or wet hop, because it hasn't been dried) has the highest potential for adding those great tastes and smells to your beer.

So why did Brau Bros name this brew Hundred Yard Dash? Well, if a brewer wants to maximize the benefits of using fresh hops, they have to be added as soon as possible after picking. The Brau brewery actually has its own hop garden, which is about 100 yards away from the brew kettle. See, the pieces are all coming together...

Fresh hop ales (or any highly hopped beer, for that matter) should be drank while they're still relatively, well, fresh. The wonderful nuances that hops add will fade slowly from the beer over time. I consumed the other 5 beers from this 6-pack not long after I purchased it, and I loved it. I knew I needed to save the last bottle for a session. I do feel like I let it sit in the fridge too long, but let's see how this last bottle will fair after many months of being pushed aside.

I pour the 12 ounce bottle into my imperial pint glass. A 1 1/2 finger cream-colored head is easily generated before settling into a thin, sticky layer. The body is somewhere between gold and copper in color with just a slight haze.

It's hard to recognize much malt aroma. Maybe there's just hints of caramel and biscuits? The scent of piney, grassy, herbal hops dominate the nose, as they should.

Mmmm. Still tasty, even after sitting for awhile. A touch of honey and caramel briefly appear before the hops blow them away. The hop flavor matches well with the aroma, only stronger and with added spice and citrus. Then a big, bruising bitterness finishes it all off and makes me want to take my next drink.

The medium viscosity liquid has a lovely stickiness that coats the mouth well and doesn't let go. There is some nice lacing present on the glass as the beer level lowers.

Wow. Like I said earlier, this style of beer is meant to be drunk fresh, but even after 5+ months in my fridge the lupulin in this brew is still dominating all. I enjoyed this when I drank it fresh, and I still enjoy it now. If Brau Brothers does this beer again next fall (which I hope they do), you'll have to try it. It's a big, floral, delicious ale that will make IPA drinkers happy.