Johnny Brenda’s Wet Hop Rodeo Is This Weekend


Photo by M. Kennedy for GPTMC

Photo by M. Kennedy for GPTMC

Speaking of Fishtown and Will Reed, he’s picked up a fun event idea during his tenure as owner of Johnny Brenda’s. This Saturday, he hosts the 7th annual Wet Hop Rodeo and Ranchero Brunch, an homage to freshly harvested hops and foods presumably eaten by Texas cowboys and Mexicans. Because, you know, the first thing we all think about when harvesting hops is cowboys and Mexicans. Kind of sounds like the menu over at El Camino Real. Wonder if Will and Owen are friends…

Whatever his reasoning, Reed’s menu, featuring huevos rancheros, “cowboy” steak and eggs, smoked brisket and chilaquiles, sounds festive and perfectly pairable with dank hops. He tells us that wet-hopped beers number among his favorites.

“Most of the original reasons for seasonal beers disappeared with modern refrigeration, and breweries have pushed the calendars for these offerings further and further from the original dates. Wet Hops are an exception. You can’t brew this beer more than a day or so after the hops are picked,” he says. “(And) when you also take into account the huge fresh flora and spice notes from the wet hop additions, you have a real reason to celebrate the release of these quirky beers.”

So what are these wet-hopped beers that Johnny Brenda’s will be featuring, you ask? On tap for Saturday starting at 11 am: Shawnee Wet Hop Saison, PBC Harvest from the Hood, Troegs Wet Hop, Victory Harvest Ale, Manayunk Wet Dreamin’, Sixpoint Autumnation, Wyndridge Wet Hop, Lagunitas Born Yesterday, Sierra Nevada Harvest, Deschutes Chasin’ Freshies, Uinta Wet Hop Session Pale and more.

In case that’s not enough day-drinking for you, you can also hop a ride on the Craft Beer Express bus, which loops through 12 bars for $10.

Johnny Brenda’s [f8b8z]