Hops-heavy beers make good springtime sippers Hops-heavy beers are typically savored in fall, but there are plenty of reasons to make them springtime sippers. By Michael Agnew, Special to the Star Tribune April 7, 2021 — 8:44am Text size Copy shortlink: I crave hops in the spring, and I'm not typically a hophead. I love pilsners, and revel in the toasty and caramel character of malt. But something about the change of seasons — lengthening days, rising temperatures, more opportunities to be outside — makes me desire the crisp, bitter bite and the citrus, resin and tropical fruit flavors that hops deliver. This seasonal craving makes no sense. Hop season is early fall, when the towering bines are cut from their trellises and the tender, bright green cones are harvested. That's when fresh or wet hop beers — made with unprocessed flowers — are brewed and released to eager hop lovers. By spring, it's just a distant memory.