Hop season is here. So is fresh, locally brewed craft beer.

By Aaron Swaney / Special to The Herald

Fresh hop season is all about celebrating what’s new: a fresh harvest of hops, new beers and improved brewing techniques.

Shawn Loring, owner and head brewer of Everett’s Lazy Boy Brewing, used fresh hop season to begin a new tradition and collaboration with an old friend. Loring asked his soon-to-be-neighbor, Scuttlebutt head brewer Eric Nord, if he wanted to create a fresh hop beer together. Nord was in.

“My hope is this is the beginning of something we regularly do with them,” Loring said of the collaboration.

Loring headed to Yakima a few weeks ago to pick up bags of Mosaic hops and ferry them back to Scuttlebutt’s Cedar Street brewhouse location. Nord then turned those 200 pounds of fresh hops into Lazy-Butt Fresh Hop Mosaic IPA. The beer will be on tap at both breweries later this week.

“We had no intent to brew a fresh hop beer this year,” Nord said, “so when Shawn reached out we jumped at the chance to get in on one at the last second.”

When it makes its move, Lazy Boy will be more than just neighbors with Scuttlebutt. The brewery’s new location near the terminus of the Grand Avenue Park Bridge is a stone’s throw from Scuttlebutt’s original location when it opened in 1996. Lazy Boy also will be just down the street from Sound to Summit’s new waterfront location.

Lazy Boy is brewing two other fresh hop collaborations this fall. They picked up some Cashmere fresh hops to brew a beer with Nun Chuck’s Brewing, a new Lynnwood brewery.

They also partnered with Seattle’s Black Raven Brewing on an innovative fresh hop beer. Black Raven used a pelletized fresh hop from YCH’s Frozen Fresh Hops program. The fresh hop pellets are flash frozen, preserving the flavor and aromas of the lupulin. So instead of hefting big bags of hop cones back from Yakima, Black Raven brought back hop pellets for its collaboration with Lazy Boy.

“Really it’s the same process,” Loring said of using the fresh hop pellets. “We added them late in the whirlpool and did a little mash-tun hopping. I”m curious to see how it turns out.”

The hop harvest in Yakima is late this year, meaning fresh hop beers are hitting shelves a little later than usual.

Here’s a look at some other fresh hop beers hitting taps soon:

5 Rights: R.J. Whitlow, owner and head brewer at 5 Rights Brewing, always wanted to brew a fresh hop beer with Simcoe hops. This year he finally got the opportunity. Due to the tumultuous harvest calendar, Whitlow was able to grab a large harvest of Simcoe from Loza Farms in Wapato.

Whitlow turned 20 pounds of fresh Simcoe hops, which showcase flavors balanced between stone fruit and pine, into a fresh hop version of The Mingler, his dry-finishing West Coast-style IPA. He also used 20 pounds of Citra to brew a fresh hop version of the brewery’s Juice Groove IPA.

Crucible: The Strata hop varietal was born in Oregon, so naturally Dick Mergens and his cronies at Crucible Brewing headed to the Beaver State earlier this month to pick up the fresh flowers. Crucible turned those hops into a West Coast IPA that is on tap at both of its locations now. Crucible also collaborated with Seattle’s Mirage Beer on an Idaho 7 fresh hop that will be released this week.

Double Bluff: The Whidbey Island brewery is brewing a communal fresh hop IPA made with hops grown on farms on the south end of the island. The beer is slated to be released at the Whidbey Island Harvest Fest in Langley on Oct. 1 and in the brewery’s taproom.

Foggy Noggin: Using locally grown hops, both from his own property near Bothell and other backyards near the brewery, Foggy Noggin owner and head brewer Jim Jamison brewed two fresh hop beers this fall, including an “estate” fresh hop special bitter made with hops exclusively from Jamison’s backyard and a fresh hop pale ale.

Watts Brewing: Made with fresh amarillo hops, Waggle Dance wet hop IPA is available this week. Check out Watts’s Twitter feed at twitter.com/wattsbrewingwa for an explainer on the hops’ journey from farm to kettle.

Hemlock State: The Mountlake Terrace brewery has turned 60 pounds of Simcoe hops into its Fresh Hopper Copper Ale. The beer is scheduled to hit taps today.

Sound 2 Summit: Head brewer Adam Frantz is making two fresh hops this year: Bine to Brew IPA, a West Coast-style IPA, made with fresh Talus hops, and Bine to Haze IPA, a hazy IPA, made with fresh Citra hops. Both will be released in early October.

Upcoming Fresh Hop Events

Freshies and Friends: Held Oct. 6-8 at 5 Rights Brewing. Drink fresh hop beers from 11 breweries in Washington and Oregon, including Breakside Brewing, Reuben’s Brews and, new this year, Portland’s Von Ebert Brewing. Tickets are $20 and include five 5-ounce tasters and a 20-ounce souvenir glass. 5 Rights Brewing is at 1514 3rd St., Marysville.

Fresh Hop Friday: Visit Special Brews bottleshop on Sept. 30 to enjoy fresh hop beers from more than 15 breweries, including Structures Brewing, Holy Mountain, Aslan and more. Special Brews is at 14608 Highway 99, Ste. 307, Lynnwood.

Crucible 7-Year Anniversary: Enjoy fresh hop beers and more at Crucible’s 7-year anniversary party starting at noon on Oct. 1. There will also be barrel-aged beer releases, including Crucible’s first barleywine, as well as live music and casino games. Crucible Brewing is at 909 SE Everett Mall Way, Everett.