Held at the Bridge Road Brewery at Beechworth, the fourth annual festival will run from March 24 to 25.

Festival founder Ben Kraus said Wet Hop Craft Beer could only be produced once a year, making it a unique festival experience every year.

“The hop growing season is from November through to March, as the hop plant goes dormant over winter,” he said.

“Due to fresh hops needing to be dried once picked, brewers only have a 24-hour window to create this particular product to ensure a fresher and hoppier flavour.

“This means that within a month of picking the hops, the beer will be released and people can taste the flowers of the year.”

Mr Kraus said each harvest created unique characteristics and since the hops had not been processed or “pelletized”, the beer would contain more of the essential oils and aromatic qualities of the hops.

The High Country Hops Festival was first developed as a way to bring together the craft brewers and hop growers of the High Country Region, which is known for its scenery, bike paths and artisan breweries.

This year for the first time all eight brewers in the region will showcase their craft beer and products.

They include Black Dog Brewery, Blizzard Brewing Company, Bright Brewery, King River Brewing, Rutherglen Brewery, Social Bandit Brewing Co, Sweetwater Brewing Company and Bridge Road Brewery.

Bridge Road Brewery’s pale ale placed ninth in Gab’s Hottest 100 Craft Beers. Beechworth Pale Ale has featured in the Hottest 100 every year since it started a decade ago; it made the top 20 since 2013 and broke into the top 10 in 2014.

It had four ​beers in the top 100, with Bling IPA at 48, Robust Porter at 92 and Little Bling 99.

The High Country Hops Festival program will appeal to beer lovers, but also to families, young couples and holiday-makers alike.

Children’s attractions include a petting zoo and jumping castle.

Adults can enjoy hop-flavoured gin and beer ice-cream, making it the perfect pre-Easter day out.

To round off the festivities, there will be an abundance of local food producers and a standout music lineup including performances from The Beez (Saturday) and ​The Kissin’ Cousins​ (Sunday).

It runs 11am to 6pm both days.

General admission to the event is free and for more information visit facebook.com/events/2142851905942268/​.

Tickets for paid tours and beer tastings are available online​.