Acknowledgment: Brazilian Celebration of Fresh Hops

In the last post we announced that the celebration of fresh hops harvested here in Brazil would happen, even in a period of social isolation.

Let's not lie, getting the event off the ground was not easy. The outbreak of COVID-19 started to appear in Brazil the week we were on the farm, harvesting hops and delivering it to the breweries. This after months of planning, and with the factories waiting for us with pots full of beer, waiting for the arrival of fresh hops, delivered in less than 24 hours after harvest.

The harvest week started one way and ended another. In the middle of the process, we discovered that it would no longer be possible to deliver fresh hops the way we had thought to Rio Grande do Sul, due to the country's initial shutdown caused by COVID-19. The solution? One of us took a flight from São Paulo to Porto Alegre and checked all the hops in the luggage. So our Porto Alegre partner breweries received the fresh hops and in less than 24 hours of the harvest.

After the first challenge of making fresh hops arrive at the breweries, two things were still missing: delivering the dry hops (from the same farm) to dry hopping and knowing how we were going to hold the beer launch event, which was scheduled for 04/24 , at the Emporium Alto dos Pinheiros.

The dried hops were delivered on time, via carrier, transport applications and even by plane, again. We are very grateful to our logistics partners, who made this possible in such a difficult time.

But with the hops delivered, the last challenge was missing: how will we launch the beers?

We met internally and decided that it was our duty to support the partner breweries, who believe in Brazilian hops together with us, and that more than ever, together with the entire beer market, they are going through a very difficult time, with bars and shops closed all over the country.

It was like this, that together with the EAP, we made the first collective craft beer launch event in the country exclusively for delivery.

EAP put together a tasting kit with 5 500ml growlers, including all 5 beers participating in the project. It was an amazing way to simulate the experience of ordering a flight tasting at the bar, as would normally be the case at a launch. 

With the proposal made, the breweries loved the idea and agreed to send their beers for the new launch date: 15/05.

The event was a success! Dozens of kits were sold on the day of launch and practically all the stock was sold out on the same day.

You probably already know, but here were the beers launched at the celebration:

Tarantino Brewery: 

Bate in Madeira - ABV: 6%

Specialty Ale with addition of Putumuju wood

https://untappd.com/b/cervejaria-tarantino-bate-na-madeira/3785228

UX Brewing Brewery: 

Back to Origins - ABV: 4.9%

Blonde Ale

https://untappd.com/b/ux-brew-back-to-origins/3785238

Hildegard Brewery: 

Santa Lúpulo Fresco - ABV: 5.3%

American Pale Ale

https://untappd.com/b/hildegard-cervejaria-cigana-santa-lupulo-fresco/3780453

Mea Culpa Brewery, Saint Rock, La Fraternité, Bunker and Overall: 

Smells Like Fresh Hops - ABV: 6.5%

NE IPA

https://untappd.com/b/cervejaria-overall-smells-like-fresh-hops/3784713

Brewery 4 Trees: 

Fresh Hops - ABV: 6.3%

IPA

https://untappd.com/b/cervejaria-4-arvores-fresh-hops/3785235

We were very happy to see the public's interest in tasting beers produced with Brazilian hops, just as we also love to taste beers: D. And we can say that they were incredible!

We also couldn't leave out the people and companies that believed in the project, did everything possible, but were unable to participate in the celebration.

We would like to thank Gustavo, from Mr. Hop, which supported the idea and would be the partner farm for breweries in Rio Grande do Sul. Unfortunately, a drought that had not been seen in more than 100 years in the state made any harvest impossible and the entire harvest of the year was lost. Gustavo is restructuring and working hard to make the 2021 harvest a success and so that we can work together for the next celebration.

We also want to thank the breweries that were unable to participate due to the situation of COVID-19, and that if it weren't for the new coronavirus, they would be with us celebrating with beers produced with fresh hops - Ruradélica, Grandparents Brewery, Ferraro Brothers and Bodoque - we sincerely thank you for believing in the Brazilian hops with us and we hope that we will be able to toast and celebrate together in 2021.

That's it, fresh hops again only for the next harvest. We are hoping that we will be in a better situation and that we can celebrate together, toasting at EAP. Cheers!