Mashing-In News: Oregon Fresh Hop Awards, Craft Beer Hall of Fame
GOOD MORNING, SOUTH PUGET SOUND!
Monday, Oct. 6, 2025 — Britt Ekland turns 83 today!
Today’s craft beer headlines pour a full pint of transition and tribute — from Oregon’s fresh hop champions and Washington’s first Hall of Fame brewers, to Oceanside’s fallen plague, and Hollywood’s caffeinated NA collab.
Breakside, Bend, and Ruse Take Gold at 2025 Oregon Fresh Hop Awards
The 2025 Oregon Beer Awards Fresh Hop Competition saw 25 judges evaluate 123 beers from 46 Oregon breweries, awarding top honors to Breakside Brewery’s Fresh Hop Bayside IPA, Bend Brewing’s Keyboard Warrior, and Ruse Brewing’s Red Rain across West Coast, Hazy, and Experimental categories in one of the state’s most rigorous beer contests. (The New School)
Washington Brewers Guild Launches Hall of Fame, Honors Seven Craft Beer Pioneers
The Washington Brewers Guild has announced its inaugural Hall of Fame class—honoring Bob Brenlin, Dick Cantwell, Bert Grant, Charles and Rose Ann Finkel, and Mari and Will Kemper—for their visionary contributions that built Washington’s craft beer legacy, from Yakima’s first microbrewery to Seattle’s pioneering pubs and Bellingham’s award-winning lagers, with the official induction set for November 3 at the Washington Craft Beer Summit in SeaTac. (Washington Beer Blog)
Drink Fresh Hops, Save Dogs: Renton’s Brewmaster’s Taproom Hosts 9th Annual Fresh Hop Auction
The Brewmaster’s Taproom in Renton will host its 9th annual Fresh Hop Auction & Raffle on Sunday, October 12, benefiting Yakima-based rescue All Mutts Great & Small with silent auctions, raffles, and even animal communication readings—plus a dollar-for-dollar match up to $15,000 to help raise more than $100,000 total for the volunteer-run organization rescuing and rehoming dogs in hop country. (Washington Beer Blog)
Bierstadt’s Ashleigh Carter Shares Six Beers That Shaped Her Brewing Philosophy
Ashleigh Carter of Denver’s Bierstadt Lagerhaus shares the six beers that inspire her—each chosen for its precision, place, and purpose—from Schönramer Hell, which defined her pursuit of perfect lager, to Guinness Stout’s influence on Bierstadt’s glassware, Bohemia Pilsner’s noble hop snap, U Fleků’s dark Czech magic, Comrade’s benchmark West Coast IPA, and Godspeed’s pitch-lined Sklepník lager that reconnected her with brewing as both craft and culture. (Craft Beer & Brewing)
Black Plague Brewing Closes After Eight Years of SoCal Craft Mischief
Oceanside’s Black Plague Brewing — the darkly playful, skateboarder-founded brewery known for its reaper murals, coffin photo ops, and award-winning beers — has closed after eight years, ending an era of gothic charm, creative ambition, and SoCal craft spirit that never quite outran the economics of survival. (San Diego Beer News)
Last Call at De Molen: Borefts Beer Festival Bids Farewell in Style
The final Borefts Beer Festival at De Molen Brewery in Bodegraven closed out a legendary chapter in European craft beer with a raucous, bittersweet celebration of world-class brewing—from Nordic imperials and Polish sours to Belgian stouts—marking the end of an era for a festival and brewery that once defined the avant-garde edge of beer culture. (The Beer Nut)
Tom Holland and Robert Downey Jr. Brew Up Coffee-Beer Crossover With BERO x happy Collaboration
Actor Tom Holland’s non-alcoholic beer brand BERO and Robert Downey Jr.’s coffee company happy have teamed up for a Hollywood craft crossover—releasing BERO Coffee Draught, a nitrogen-smooth, coffee-forward NA beer, and happy Eternal Hoptimist, a hop-inspired ground coffee—available in limited runs online and at Target nationwide. (Craft Brewing Business)
LINK: Peaks & Pints beer and cider cooler inventory
