Fall in the beer industry signals the return of seasonal favorites like Oktoberfests, Stouts, Porters, Winter Warmers, and strong ales.
But another popular style this time of year is Harvest Ales, which are made to celebrate the hop harvest season. These flavorful ales use fresh, or wet, hops that are usually harvested and boiled within a 30-day window as opposed to dried or pelleted hops. The result is a more potent and defined hop presence.
The Competitors
Two of craft beer's biggest breweries, Founders Brewing and Lagunitas Brewing, release arguably the two best harvest ales on the market every Fall.
Founders' Harvest ale dubbed simply, "Harvest Ale," is one of their most popular limited release beers alongside Devil Dancer and of course, KBS.
Lagunitas' harvest ale, dubbed "Born Yesterday," is likely Lagunitas' most popular limited release, and much like Founders', its distribution is extremely limited.
Both brewers travel to Washington's Yakima Valley each Fall just in time for the hop harvest to gather their bounty. Their respective trips have been captured below:
The process for both brewers takes a ton of effort in order to get the hops into the kettle as soon as humanly possible. The results are well worth the herculean effort, as the freshness of the hops shines in each brew.
So, which one is better? Let's find out!
The Showdown
It's almost unfair to have these two excellent ales battle it out, but much like the craft beer scene, healthy competition is necessary to thwart complacency. So with that being said, let the game's begin!
Founders Harvest Ale (7.6% ABV, 70 IBUs)
1. Pour: Founders' Harvest pours a hazy light amber color with about a finger length of head and slight carbonation.2. Aroma: Founders' aroma is quite resinous with dank hints of pine and a touch of citrus.
3. Taste: Harvest Ale's flavor is slightly earthy with hints of pine up front, carbonation and a super clean, almost pilsner-like finish. Incredibly smooth, incredibly crushable.
Lagunitas Born Yesterday (7.0% ABV, 110 IBUs)
1. Pour: A hazy and cloudy, almost juice-like, bright orange with about a two fingers of foam head to top it off.
2. Aroma: Features a mouth-water aroma fuming with juicy citra hops, tropical fruit and slight pine.
3. Taste: Incredibly bright and tropical up front followed by juicy citrus and a tangy dry finish. Refreshing and delicious.
The Results
Founders Harvest Ale and Lagunitas Born Yesterday are two of the best damn beers I've ever had. Founders was somehow able to make a smooth, but flavorful 7.6 percent, 70 IBU IPA with crisp and refreshing hop flavor while Lagunitas was able to pack harness the brightness of the sun and the flavor of a juice box all in a 12 ounce bottle.
Deciding between these two incredible ales is a tall task, but I have decided on a winner....
Winner: Lagunitas Born Yesterday
Afterthoughts
Picking a winner between these two titans wasn't easy. Both were fantastic in their own way, but Born Yesterday ultimately won me over with it's delicious and mouth-watering juicy hop flavor. Both of these harvest ales are must haves for any beer fanatic, especially IPA lovers.
Cheers, Founders and Lagunitas!
(Check out Ryan's review of Sole's Citra Nerd)
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