Skeleton Bay IPA: Coronado’s Fresh Hop Masterpiece

Fresh hop season is here, and Coronado Brewing Co. is thrilled to release Skeleton Bay IPA, a limited-edition fresh hop IPA in 16oz 4-packs. What might be the largest canned fresh hop release by a Southern California brewery to date, the team at Coronado packaged over 300 barrels using 2000 total lbs. of Citra and Simcoe hops from Oasis Farms in the Yakima Valley.

What Makes Fresh Hop Beers Special?

Fresh hop season happens only once a year, during the hop harvest from late August to early October. Fresh hops, unlike other hop products, deliver the truest expression of the hop straight from the bine, capturing flavors and aromas just as the farmers intend. The result? A beer with a resiny mouthfeel and hyper-fresh aromatics that only comes from using hops at their freshest.

Farm to Fermenter: The Journey of Our Hops

Thanks to advances in technology and the partnership with Yakima Chief Hops (YCH) and Ripe Locker, our hops reached us fresher than ever before—delivered within 36 hours! Ripe Locker’s low-pressure vacuum technology helps preserve the hops by controlling pressure, humidity, and oxygen, expanding the reach of fresh hops to more breweries across the U.S.

The Brewing Process: From Boil to Dry Hop

To extract the full potential of the fresh hops, we transfer hot wort onto the hops, allowing flavors, oils, and aromas to infuse into the beer. We then enhance the aromatics even further using YCH Simcoe “Dynaboost” hop oil in the whirlpool before dry hopping with an additional round of Simcoe. The result is an IPA bursting with fresh hop character, best enjoyed as soon as possible to experience the magic of these once-a-year hops.