2023 Festival Tickets Available Now!

Get ready for the ultimate Celebration of Hops at the 2023 Fresh Hop Ale Festival!


Taking place on Saturday, October 7th, from 5PM to 10PM at the SOZO Complex, this festival is a must-attend event for beer enthusiasts.

Featuring a diverse selection of beers made exclusively with hops from the Yakima Valley and the talented brewers who create them, this festival is a unique opportunity to experience the freshest and most flavorful beers around. Not only is it a chance to indulge in delicious brews, but it’s also a fundraising event with proceeds supporting grant funding for science and arts programs in Yakima County. Learn more about our grants.

Don’t miss out – get your tickets today!

The Wenas Mammoth Foundation | 2022 Grant Recipient

The funding that the Wenas Mammoth Foundation (WMF) received in 2022 from the Yakima Fresh Hop Group, as well as other funders, allowed us to increase our 2022 STEM Paleontology, Archaeology, and Geology Summer Camp enrollments. Some of the upgrades we did to increase our participant numbers and meet grant and state requirements were building materials for the 2nd mock dig box with life-size mammoth bone casts, 16’ x 24’ wall tent and floor mats, ADA outhouse, well water test, geology canvas packs with geology tools, additional field archaeology and geology tools, mammoth t-shirts, storage cubes for student’s belongings, and “certificate of participation” for all students.


In 2022, the WMF was able to reach students from underrepresented populations that otherwise would not have been able to attend the summer camps. We were able to develop partnerships with the Union Gap School District and the Yakima School District. These partnerships allowed us to reach 41 youths that were furthest from educational justice. Each district was scheduled a week for their 3-day day camp, and each individual districts would register students who met the criteria. The districts would provide transportation, lunches, and snacks. The Wenas Mammoth Foundation would wave the registration fees for each student and give each student a mammoth t-shirt. This opportunity gave underrepresented students the ability to participate in a local, outdoor scientific environment and learn about local earth science and STEM careers. Funding from the Yakima Fresh Hop Group, Schools Out WA and OSPI, Legends Casino Hotel, Pacific Power Foundation, and the Paleontological Society helped us reach students that otherwise would not have had this educational opportunity.


Our goal was to have a total of five camps this year. We had one camp that reached 26 local K-12 teachers. These teachers learned about local earth sciences, STEM careers, and gain resources to take back to their classrooms. We believe that giving teachers this learning experience not only gives the teachers the opportunity to earn their required 15 STEM clock hours and learn about local earth science, but also the opportunity to share this information with their students. The connection with the teachers has strengthen the relationship between their schools and the WMF through school tours of the dig site and scheduling the WMF to visit their classrooms and science fairs.


The WMF also had 2 weeks of regular camp for beginning and returning students who did not qualify as underrepresented youth. Our beginners learned the methods of archaeology, paleontology, geology, and STEM careers. The return camper visited local geological formations and developed a theory on what the surrounding basalt mountains and the sedimentations of Wenas Mammoth Mountain tells them. These students also used the skills they learned in the beginning archaeology, paleontology, and geology camp to open an actual excavation unit.


The Wenas Mammoth Foundation is very grateful for the continued support from the Yakima Fresh Hop Group. Thank You!

2022 Home Brew Winners

Best of Show

Nathan Roszina
Beer:  Shreddin’ Freshies
Home Brew Club: Tall Trees Brew Lab


1st Place Pale

Randy Merriman
Beer:  Rosy Centennial Fresh Hop Pale
Home Brew Club:  Browns Point Homebrew Club


1st Place IPA

Craig Hamilton
Beer:  Just Wow
Home Brew Club:  W.O.R.T


1st Place Imperial

Mike McCourt
Beer:  Citra Hazy DIPA
Home Brew Club:  Browns Point Homebrew Club

2022 Brewery Winners

Best of Show


Stoup Brewing
Mosaic Fresh Hop Fiend IPA- Sauve & Son
7.2% ABV

The 10th in our 2022 Fresh Hop Fiend Series, Mosaic Fresh Hop Fiend is packed with 300 pounds per batch of Mosaic fresh hops from our friends at Sauve & Son Farms in Mabton, WA. Mosaic brings aroma of mango, berry and dankness. Drink it fast and fresh!


1st Place Pale

Old Schoolhouse Brewery
Fresh Hop “Riff” Stowaway Pale

6% ABV

Our Fresh Hop Riff off our classic Stowaway Pale Ale. Grab one during fresh hop season and prepare to be blown away.
Malt: 2-Row Pilsner, Rice Hulls, C15, Rolled Oats
Hops: Simcoe, Citra, Mosaic followed by wet Citra from Perrault Farms.


1st Place IPA

Single Hill Brewing Company
Fresh Hop Lateral A
6.6% ABV

Fresh Hop Lateral A is Single Hill brewing’s annual collaboration with Zeek’s Pizza.  A juicy, dreamy fresh hop IPA brewed with wet and kilned HBC-586, wet HBC-1019, and kilned Talas and Ekuanot.


1st Place Imperial

Varietal Beer Company
Hyperion Fresh Hop DIPA
8.1% ABV, 50 BU

Wet hop double IPA collab with Structures Brewing from Bellingham WA, featuring 30lbs per bbl of unkilned Simcoe hops from Sauve & Son Farms and Carpenter Ranches. Hyperion won a silver medal at GABF in 2022 in the Fresh Hop category, as well as best Imperial IPA at Yakima Fresh Hop Ale Festival.

May 20th: Winner’s Will Be Announced!

Submission Deadline: May 1st
Voting Begins: May 4th – 18th
Winners Announced: May 20th

As a supporter of our Valley’s arts, FHAF is pleased to bring back our annual poster contest, “Fresh Art Poster Competition”. This is an exciting opportunity to display your best artistic design for this year’s festival. The 1st place winner’s artwork will be featured on the event posters, festival banners, and will go up for auction to support Yakima arts and science programs throughout our valley.

Three (3) winners will be chosen by you!

1st place wins $250 and 2 VIP Tickets.
2nd place wins $150 and 2 VIP Tickets
3rd place wins $100 and 2 VIP tickets

October 6, 2022: Golf Tournament

Your favorite golf tournament is back and in a new location! Each team will receive 18 holes of golf, cart rental, a pasta lunch buffet, a commemorative glass, golf balls and plenty of fresh hop beers! Shotgun start begins at noon. Individual entry or teams of 4 are available.

Thursday, October 6th 2022 (10:30am to 6pm)
Yakima Country Club 
500 Country Club Drive
Yakima, WA 98901

Registration Check In and Lunch: 10:30am – 11:55am (Serving pasta buffet)

Shotgun Start Time: 12pm

Raffle, Snacks and Announcements: 5pm

RV Parking at SOZO Sports

SOZO Sports Complex is offering RV sites for our festival!

They have 200 spots for RV’s only. They are dry spots, but portable water and some power is available on-site. You can arrive on Friday by 5:00 PM or Saturday morning from 8-10 AM.

The $250 fee is for both nights, but you can stay just one night; the price remains the same. No tents, open flames, parties or outside visitors will be allowed in the camping area. All questions and communications about the camping spots will be handled by SOZO Sports Complex, not the Fresh Hop Group. Please contact them directly through their website.

New Covid-19 Updates

For Immediate Release:

The Fresh Hop Group announced new Covid 19 updates today:

Due to the increasing number of Covid-19 Cases in Yakima County, the Fresh Hop Group will be implementing additional Covid-safety protocols at the 2021 Fresh Hop Ale Festival Saturday, October 2nd for all attendees, volunteers, and vendors.

The Fresh Hop Group will follow the same measures implemented by Washington’s pro and college sports teams (Seahawks, Huskies and Cougars) that were announced on September 7.  The new measures are based on recommendations by the Yakima Health District YHD-Event-Guidance-8-25-21 (yakimacounty.us) and the State of Washington Department of Health (DOH) Proclamation 20-25.

All festival attendees, vendors, volunteers and contractors must present ONE of the following to gain admission to the festival grounds:

  • Negative Covid-19 Test within 72 hours of the festival (at home test not accepted)

OR

  • Proof of full vaccination, which is defined as two weeks following the second dose of Pfizer or Modera vaccines, or two weeks following the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

In addition, all festival attendees, vendors, volunteers and contractors must:

  • Sign a Covid-19 Liability WaiverFill out this form prior to entering the festival gates stating that you do not have any symptoms of COVID-19 such as cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fever, chills, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, or new loss of taste or smell.
  • Wear a Mask.  Masks are required at all outdoor events attended by 500 people or more.  Regardless of vaccination status, face coverings are required at all times except when physical distancing from others outside of one’s household is practiced or while in the act of eating or drinking.

Anyone who is not able to meet the above requirements may request a refund or can use your 2021 festival ticket in 2022.  Please send your request to freshhopale2@gmail.com. Refunds will be issued in a timely manner, and may take up to 72 hours to reach your bank account.

“The health and safety of our festival attendees, volunteers and vendors is always our top priority and we remain committed to doing what we can to keep our community safe.” said Karl Vanevenhoven, Board President, Fresh Hop Group. “These measures will allow us to continue with this year’s festival, while still providing a safe and fun experience.”

To further reduce risk for those attending the festival, the Fresh Hop Group will NOT be selling tickets at the door. All Tickets must be purchased prior to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 2nd. Anyone wanting to purchase tickets at the gate will be turned away. 

We are also implementing a schedule of cleaning throughout the evening in addition to increasing hand washing stations.  

If any new mandates are implemented by the State of Washington, we will follow them. Please follow us on social media for up-to-date information as we get closer to the festival. 

Fresh Hop Golf tournament participants and volunteers are also required to sign a Covid-19 Liability Waiver stating that they do not have any symptoms of Covid-19 the day of the tournament.

Yakima County COVID Testing Sites can be found at:
https://yakimacounty.us/2401/Yakima-County-COVID-19-Testing-Sites

Yakima County COVID Vaccination Resources can be found at:
https://www.yakimacounty.us/2472/COVID-19-Vaccine