Amazingly, Yakima Valley supplies more than 75 percent of the nation’s hops. During this time of year, local craft brewers avail themselves of the proximity and abundance of the hops crop, making ales with hops processed no more than 24 hours after being harvested. The result? Brews with a milder, more botanical profile and less bitterness than is normally associated with hoppy beers. Because of the fragile nature of those little green, cone-shaped flowers, it’s hard to rival the range of fresh hop beers found in our region, and they’re available for an extremely limited time. Yakima’s Fresh Hop Ale Festival, which benefits Yakima County–based arts and science organizations, provides a rare opportunity to taste a range of these hyper-seasonal, ephemeral beers in one place before they’re gone. by Julianne Bell