I’m far from ready to declare a favourite from this year’s fresh hop season, but I surely have some contenders, and the third edition of Bach Brewing Sticky Buds (by way of Steam Brewing) is most definitely on the list. Fresh Nectaron is the pick here, supporting a broad mix of Nelson Sauvin, Riwaka, Motueka and yet more Nectaron in the form of new 2026 pellets.
Freshly sliced mango and nectarine, passion fruit, dank pine and just a hint of scintillating citrus, all delivered with a stunningly ripe generosity and impact. I think it’s these pelletized, yet still harvest fresh hops that are doing a lot of the lifting here. This is now yet another in a growing list of consistently excellent beers that have utilised ‘new’ rather than strictly ‘fresh’ hops in their brewing.