Unusually green, intensely aromatic beers have begun showing up around the Bay Area lately. Our annual signal that hop harvest season has arrived, bringing with it the wonderfully ephemeral pleasure of wet hop beer!

Wet Hop beers are only possible for a few weeks of the year. The short window when hops are coming off the bine in the Pacific Northwest and making the mad dash from farm to brewery. Many of those freshly harvested flowers make it into brew kettles here in the Bay Area, and the resulting beers are just now arriving on brewery tap lists.

That means the next couple of weeks are among the best times of the year to drink brewery-fresh beer.

What exactly is a wet hop?

The vast majority of the 2026 hop harvest will be dried, processed and eventually shipped to breweries as pellets. That processing makes hops much more stable, predictable and easier to ship and store. It is what allows brewers to produce hoppy recipes consistently year-round.

Wet hops skip all of that.

They go from the field to the brewery while they're still fresh, green, and full of powerfully aromatic oils. They are intensely perishable, which means brewers have a very short window to get them into the brew kettle. Original Pattern Brewing says its team can pick up hops as early as 5 AM and have them back in Oakland by 1 PM, ready to brew that same day.

That logistical nightmare is also the magic.

Wet hop beers are tied to a particular farm, a particular place and a particular moment in time.

And while the terms are sometimes used interchangeably, there is a useful distinction: fresh-hop beers are made with newly harvested hops, while wet-hop beers specifically use hops that haven't been dried before making their way into your beer.

The result can be remarkably different from the beers we drink the rest of the year: vivid, green, resinous, sometimes grassy or herbal, and intensely connected to the character of the freshly harvested hop.

For more on wet and fresh hops, check out last year's Brew Deck on this subject: https://brewdeck.ghost.io/beers-answer-to-beaujolais-nouveau-only-way-tastier/

Meet the Bay Area “Wet Hop Carpool”

The country's major hop-growing regions are hundreds of miles away. For Original Pattern Brewing in Oakland, that has meant a lot of driving.

Original Pattern brewed its first wet hop beer in 2019 using 100 pounds of Mosaic. Another Bay Area brewery was already making the trip north to pick up hops and offered to bring some back for OP.

That small act of collaboration became the beginning of what OP now affectionately calls the Wet Hop Carpool.

Over the next few years, Bay Area breweries took turns making the long haul north, bringing back fresh hops to split among several breweries. Ghost Town, Barebottle and Del Cielo were among those making the runs.

Then Original Pattern got big enough to take the wheel itself.

In 2023, OP made its first wet-hop pickup, bringing sticky flowers back for other Bay Area breweries, too. The following year, it made two trips. The program grew again in 2025.

And this year, the carpool has become something considerably more ambitious.

Original Pattern made five separate 1,200-mile round trips to hop farms in Oregon and Washington, supplying freshly harvested hops to more than 20 Bay Area breweries.

That means more Bay Area brewers get the chance to make beers that otherwise might never exist here.

Original Pattern has already released three wet-hop beers, and neighbors Ghost Town Brewing and Tenma Beer Project are among those already pouring beers made possible by this year's carpool.

And that's really the coolest part of the whole thing. This isn't just Original Pattern making more wet-hopped beer. It's Bay Area breweries helping one another over a significant logistical hurdle because they collectively believe the result is worth the trouble.

As Original Pattern head brewer Chris Poole puts it:

“Wet hop season is one of our favorite times of year. There’s something really cool about getting fresh hops straight from the harvest and having such a short window to turn them into beer. We love the process, but we love sharing the beer even more. Bringing 30+ breweries together to celebrate the harvest and give people in the Bay a chance to taste all these different wet hop beers in one place is something we’re really excited about.”

The Carpool Ends in Oakland - The Inaugural West Coast Wet Hop Harvest Fest!

The culmination of this year’s project takes place on Saturday, October 3, when Original Pattern hosts its first-ever West Coast Wet Hop Harvest Fest.

More than 30 breweries from around the West Coast will gather at OP's Oakland brewery, bringing together a remarkable collection of beers made with this year's harvest. The lineup includes Bay Area breweries alongside breweries from Oregon and Washington, with wet-hop beers featuring varieties including Mosaic, Citra, Simcoe, Strata and Amarillo.

This event is a rare opportunity for anyone outside of the Pacific Northwest to taste a whole bunch of brewers going above and beyond to work with genuinely precious ingredients and present the results in pristine brewery-fresh condition!

One brewery's wet-hop Citra won't taste exactly like another brewery's wet-hop Citra. The beers become little snapshots of an extraordinary harvest filtered through the personalities and brewing philosophies of the people who made them.

Saturday, October 3 • 1–5 PM
Original Pattern Brewing • Oakland

And because you're a Brew Deck subscriber, we've got a little something to help you get there:

$5 off your ticket

Visit Eventbrite and use code OPWETHOP26 when you buy your ticket.

Because wet hops don't wait. And neither should you!

🍻 Upcoming Events Featuring Our Member Breweries

🎉 Reminder! There are ongoing multi-date, multi-property Oktoberfest celebrations going on at Fieldwork and Headlands Brewing.

Thursday, 9/24 - Monday, 9/30—Bite Back Hunger Week at Headlands!
(Lafayette, CA)
It's Bite Back Hunger Restaurant Week and Headlands Lafayette will be donating 2% of daily sales to the Food Bank of Contra Costa & Solano.
More Info –>  Bite Back Hunger Week in Lafayette!

Friday, 9/25—Julio Bravo live at Del Cielo!
(Martinez, CA | 6:30 PM- 9:30 PM)
In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, Del Cielo has put together a night of LIVE SALSA with Julio Bravo! General Admission is free!
VIP Tables and More Info –>  Live Salsa Music and Dancing in Martinez!

Saturday, 9/26—Oktoberfest at Epidemic Ales!
(Concord, CA | Noon-10 PM)
Epidemic Ales is celebrating with a triple Oktoberfest beer release, a ceremonial keg tapping with the Mayor of Concord, limited-edition 2026 steins, giant turkey legs, German food, and karaoke!
Tickets and More Info –> Oktoberfest in Concord!

Saturday, 9/26—Five-Year Anniversary Party at CUVER Brewing!
(Windsor, CA | Noon-8 PM)
Enjoy a Belgian-inspired menu from Lila's Streetside Eats, live music by The Rhythm Drivers Band, and an Anniversary Sale of 20% OFF 2+ PACKS* offered all week long.
More Info –> Anniversary Party in Windsor!

Saturday, 9/26—Oktoberfest at Five Suns!
(Martinez, CA | 11 AM - 9 PM)
Five Suns will release their Sonnenfest Marzen Lager. Vince Charming Band will be playing live music from 6 - 8PM. Bring your own stein for a discount!
More Info –> Oktoberfest in Martinez!

Saturday, 9/26—"Show Us Your Stein!" at Enterprise Brewing!
(San Francisco, CA | 1 PM)
Dust off your steins and bring em to Enterprise! Bring your stein, don your hosen, and share your stories. $10 liter fills of Enterprise's own Festbier.

Saturday, 9/27—Oyster Oktoberfest at Humble Sea!
(Alameda, CA | Noon- 5 PM)
Oyster shuckers, live sea shanties, food, drinks, local vendors, tattoos, crafts, and a whole lotta beer for!
More Info —> Oyster Oktoberfest in Alameda

📅 Save the Dates

Saturday, 10/3—West Coast Wet Hop Harvest Fest at Original Pattern
(Oakland, CA | 1 PM - 5 PM)
Original Pattern hosts a brand-new celebration of fwet-hop beer, bringing together 30 breweries from up and down the West Coast for one incredible afternoon of freshly harvested hops, freshly brewed beer, live music, and local eats!
Use code OPWETHOP26 for your discount!
Tickets & More Info —> Wet Hop Harvest Fest in Oakland !

Saturday, 10/3—11-Year Anniversary Celebration at Steel Bonnet Brewing!
(Scotts Valley, CA | 11 AM - close)
Steel Bonnet celebrates their 11-year Anniversary with an all-day party featuring live music, food trucks, kids zone, raffle + prizes & more!!
More Info —> Anniversary Celebration in Scotts Valley!

Saturday, 10/3—Oktoberfest Block Party at Fifty Vara Brewing!
(San Francisco, CA | Noon- 6 PM)
Fifty Vara is shutting down Noriega St. for a big Oktoberfest bash that is the centerpiece of their weekend-long celebration. Expect fresh beer and local food, live music, family entertainment, makers, and neighborhood merchants.

Saturday, 10/3—Oktoberfest at Hop Oast Brewing!
(San Francisco, CA | 3 PM- 9 PM)
The official release of Hop Oast's Hammerschlager plus house-made colossal pretzels!

Sunday, 10/4—Barks, Boos & Brews at Drake's Barrel House!
(San Leandro, CA | Noon- 5 PM)
A Halloween hangout built for the whole family, pups included. Come in costume, spend the afternoon with fellow dog people and support a great cause!
RSVP & More Info —> Dog-Friendly Halloween Party in San Leandro!

Thursday, 10/8—Geektoberfest at The Tech Interactive Museum!
(San Jose, CA| 7 PM -11 PM)
Beer meets science at The Tech Interactive's adults-only Tech at Nite: Geektoberfest. Several Bay Area Brewers Guild member breweries will be pouring as part of the celebration, which includes not only a bunch of delicious local beer, but also access to all of the museum's incredible programming!
Tickets and More Info –> Geektoberfest in San Jose!

Saturday, 10/10—2nd Annual Banned Books and Brews at Clandestine Brewing!
(San Jose, CA | Noon - 4 PM)
Banned Books & Brews is back! Join the San José Public Library Foundation in turning Clandestine Brewing into a powerhouse for intellectual freedom! In addition to the banned books fair, there will be storytime for kids, food trucks and brewery tours!
More Info --—> Banned Books Fair in San Jose!

Sunday, 10/11—15th Anniversary Celebration at Berryessa Brewing!
(Winters, CA | Noon- dark)
DJs and live music all day, plus special beer releases!