Oregon Beer Awards Announces 2025’s Batch of Fresh Hop Winners

A new crop of winners rises from nearly 140 entries almost 50 breweries submitted for glory.

Stormbreakers_Will-Corwin_2 (Stormbreaker, Will Corwin)
By Andrew Jankowski

The Oregon Beer Awards has announced a new flight of Fresh Hop winners from nearly 140 entries from almost 50 participating breweries. (Due to the category’s seasonal nature, the early judgment occurs before the awards ceremony the following spring.)

Only two breweries that entered the OBA’s Fresh Hop category over the past two years appeared on the 2025 winners’ list. Von Ebert Brewing took home the top Gold prize for Fresh Hop Hazy Pale Ales and India Pale Ales this year after placing Bronze in the 2024 ceremony, which it won in 2023. Baerlic Brewing Company, which won the Other Fresh Hop Beers category in 2023, took silver for fresh hop PAs/IPAs. The rest of this year’s winners either appear in these categories for the first time or return to what they’d humbly call their rightful spots.

The 2025 OBA Fresh Hop competition saw the most entries from statewide breweries in its entire decade-long run. This year 47 breweries entered 137 beers among all Fresh Hop categories. The “Other” category—which covers essentially every style of fresh hop beers except PAs, IPAs and their hazy variants—saw the most growth over the prior two awards, with 42 entries. Hazy PA/IPAs also made gains with 33 entries, while the non-hazy varieties modestly dropped to 62 entries.

Fresh hop harvest season is winding down, which means time’s running out to try the top winners. Taste glory at the following breweries, most of which have locations in the Portland metro area:

Fresh Hop Pale Ales and India Pale Ales

Gold: Fresh Hop Dino (collaboration with Ghost Town Brewing), Living Häus Beer Co.

Silver: Fresh Hop Splishy! West Coast IPA, Baerlic Brewing Co.

Bronze: Fresh Hop Mosaic Mega Pint, Bend Brewing Co.

Fresh Hop Hazy Pale Ales and India Pale Pales

Gold: Fresh Hop Sector 7, Von Ebert Brewing

Silver: Fresh Hop Fields of Green, Fort George Brewery

Bronze: Set Freshies To Haze, StormBreaker Brewing

Other Fresh Hop Beers

Gold: Cones of Lorien Pils, BinaryBrewing.co

Silver: Fresh Hop Green Idol, Oak Union Brewing

Bronze: Fresh Hopped Italian Pils, Hetty Alice Beers

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