Beer fest got Sisters hoppin'

All around the big tent at Village Green Park on Saturday, the air was filled with fresh hop aromas that drew in hundreds of folks for the sixth annual Sisters Fresh Hop Festival.

Judy Trego, executive director for the Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce, had her hands full volunteering pours for Three Mugs Brewing Company from Hillsboro.

"The fest is going really well. This year we have 22 breweries and it's packed out," she said. "We've had a steady flow of people since it started at noon.

"It seems that we've had thousands of people come through already. The beer is flowing and people are very excited. People love this event for its low-key factor. It's the small intimate feel of this venue that they are attracted to. The weather has been perfect and there's a light breeze coming through the tent and everyone's comfortable. It's the perfect day for tasting fresh hop beers from all over Oregon."

So what exactly are fresh hops?

Hops are the seed cones of the plant species Humulus lupulus, and they're actually very delicate flowers. They don't survive long after being cut, which is why almost all hops are dried immediately after harvest, to preserve the valuable oils and resins that add so much savor and tang to beer. But fresh hops - or wet hops - are fresh-picked hops brewers fire in their kettle to capture in their most natural state.

It was the first time at the festival for Calapooia Brewing Company from Albany, and Jay Zink, sales manager for the brewing company, was having a great time talking to folks about the brewery.

"Our brewery has been around for nine years and our name, Calapooia, is the name of a river that converges with the Willamette River at Albany. Our seasonal fresh today is Hop Licker; it has 250 pounds of fresh, wet and sticky Sterling hops from Crosby Hop Farms in Woodburn, and we combine it with Pilsen, two-row and Maris Otter Pale malts," Zink said. "The owners Mark and Laura Bryngelson were high school sweethearts; I've known them for years. And they are really famous for their unique Chili Beer; it's minimally hopped and generously flavored with 300 pounds of fresh anaheim, serrano, and jalapeño peppers!"

Volunteer Bob Buckmann poured two different fresh hop beers for Sisters Three Creeks Brewing Company: Cone Lick'r and Hop Wrangler Fresh Hop Red. Three Creeks took the honors last year and won the Golden Bunny Award.

Could they take the award again?

"Well, everyone is coming back for another taste of our fresh hop beer," Buckmann said with a smile. "I've been seeing this all day, they've been comparing, and keep coming back for more."

Brewmasters Kyle Schwenk and Chasen Shultz from Riverbend Brewing Company in Bend were on hand to talk about their very first fresh hop brew.

"This is our first time here and our first time crafting a fresh hop beer," Schwenk admitted. "We opted to use 100 percent whole-cone hops straight from the farm, just over two hours away. We kept the malts simple and packed out kettle and hop back with three different Oregon varieties: amarillo, chinook, and Sterling."

Beer wasn't the only thing that kept the crowd hoppin'; it was this year's main band "The Desert Kind." The popular band blends Americana country and folk ballads.

Each year Sisters volunteers come out and help pour beer and answer as many questions as possible for hundreds of patrons.

"We are really lucky to have over 30 volunteers here pouring. They are a wonderful help for everyone," said Jeri Buckmann, event coordinator for Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce.

Folks got the chance to vote for their favorite brewery in the People's Choice Best Fresh Hop Beer contest sponsored by FivePine Lodge & Conference Center.

By 4 p.m. patrons Carol and Kary from Bend were done tasting and decided to tell The Nugget who they thought should win this year's Golden Bunny Award.

"We really enjoyed the beer Bone Crusher from Silver Moon Brewing, but we also enjoy the beer from Three Creeks Brewing, so it's a tie."

But it was a different beer that took the honors. This year's winner of the Golden Bunny Award was Crux Fermentation Project for their Oregon-grown mosaic fresh hop beer, MOcruxSAIC.