Sydney’s biggest fresh hop beer festival returns Friday April 11 to Thursday April 17 with 11 Inner West breweries pouring exclusive new beers. Breweries include: Batch, Future, Kicks, Mixtape, Philter, Sauce, The Grifter, Wayward, White Bay, Wildflower and Young Henrys.
:: Print your own festival passport (PDF) or grab one from a brewery
Made with Galaxy hops picked fresh off the farm in the Victorian high country, these unique beers were brewed the next day to capture the flavour at their very peak. The results are both delicious and diverse with beer styles ranging from hazy pales to dark ales to experimental IPAs and more – see below for details!
So grab your crew and join us for an awesome week of beer exploration and the freshest froths in town. Entry is free and the event is family/dog-friendly.
Use our interactive map to plan your visit. See our brewery pages for venue info and opening times.
Score a free festival t-shirt
Want the ultimate Hop Harvest Fest souvenir? Try all 11 festival beers over the week and snag a special collector’s edition t-shirt for FREE. It’s part Ale Trail adventure, part treasure hunt and a whole lotta fun.
Here’s how it works:
* While stocks last. Normal RSA rules apply – it’s a festival, not a race. Take your time and drink responsibly.
FRESH HOP FESTIVAL BEERS:
Batch: High Country Harvest
Australian Pale Ale, 5% ABV
With a huge dose of fresh hops added early in fermentation, this complex pale ale positively bursts with flavours of tropical fruits, citrus and green ‘fresh from the bine’ character over a slightly sweet, light-golden malt base. See Batch’s brewery page
Future: Dankonia
Fresh Hop IPA, 7% ABV
This double dry-hopped IPA was brewed with irresponsible amounts of fresh whole cone Galaxy in the whirlpool. Galaxy is the headliner here but expect big cameos from NZ hops Nectaron and Nelson Sauvin in the final mix too. See Future’s brewery page
Kicks: Salad Days
Raw Ale, 6.7% ABV
Brimming with the greenest, dankest expression of Galaxy, this beer was hit with a truck load of hop cones that went from bine to brew in under 24 hours. Then it was dry-hopped with even more Galaxy for a truly cosmic single hop experience. Visit Kicks’ brewery page
Mixtape: Black Hop Sun 2.0
Dark IPA, 4.9% ABV
Blending Mixtape’s love of dark beers, loud ’90s rock and sci-fi, this hoppy Cascadian dark ale is truly out of this world. Visit Mixtape’s brewery page
Philter: ????
Style: ?????, ABV ????
No, it’s not a typo – the Philter crew want to keep their brew a secret so you’ll just have to drop in to solve the mystery. Visit Philter’ brewery page
Sauce: 3 Body Problem
Hazy Pale Ale, 4.9% ABV
Three types of Galaxy collide with fresh hop cones steeped in hot wort to extract the lupulin and then sent to party with Galaxy T90 pellets and Galaxy Spectrum in the dry hop with a sprinkle of Eclipse hops to spice things up. Visit Sauce’s brewery page
The Grifter: Wet Hop Acid Drop
Sour, 5.5% ABV
Take a trip with this fresh hop flip of their Acid Drop classic. Expect a tart sour infused with zesty flavours of citrus and fresh-cut fruit alongside delicate ‘green’ notes from the fresh hops. Visit The Grifter’s brewery page
Wayward: Wet Bandit
Pale Ale, 4.5% ABV
Inspired by Home Alone’s devious duo, this punchy pale plunders the freshest hops straight from the farm for unmatched flavour and aroma. The resulting hop heist is smooth, crisp and bursting with lively tropical notes. Visit Wayward’s brewery page
White Bay: King Peanut
Golden Ale, 5% ABV
Named after the brewer’s beloved cat, this gorgeous golden ale blends a mix of light toffee and biscuit malts with enticing flavours of passionfruit and citrus from the fresh hops added late in the boil and whirlpool. Visit White Bay’s brewery page
Wildflower: Bumbershoot
Mountain Culture & Cloudburst collab
IPA, 6.5% ABV
Wildflower love a good hop harvest so they’ve invited best buds Mountain Culture and Cloudburst Brewing (USA) to join the party with this wonderful wet hop IPA. Visit Wildflower’s brewery page
Young Henrys: Across The Universe
Hazy Pale Ale 5.4% ABV
This hazy pale uses a whopping 25 grams of fresh hop cones per litre on the hot-side alone. Essentially, there’s so many galaxies in it, it has to be considered a universe. Something’s gonna change your wooorld! Visit Young Henry’s brewery page
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