Each year we brew a slightly different version of our Harvest Ale. We’ve tried different malts, different hop varieties, higher and lower alcohol percentages, but one thing that remains constant is our use of fresh whole-cone hops, which are added to the brew no more than 24 hours after harvest. In the past, we’ve had specific varieties of hops shipped overnight from Washington or Oregon, but in recent years we’ve chosen to reduce our carbon footprint while supporting local farmers by selecting hops grown here in Indiana. For this year’s Harvest IPA, we’ve chosen a blend of American hop varieties, Cascade and Michigan Copper, grown only a stone’s-throw West of Indianapolis at Tiger Claw Hop Farm. We sent some of our brewers to help with the harvest on a Sunday afternoon. The hops were steeping in our hop back by 11 am the following day.

This year’s base recipe is an Imperial Juicy/Hazy IPA. Think of this as a bigger, bolder, higher ABV version of Juiced in Time with the added layer of fresh, green, resinous flavor from the whole cone hop addition. To supplement the fresh hop flavor, this beer was double dry hopped with Citra and Galaxy hops for the intense tropical and citrus character that Juicy/Hazy IPA’s are known for.