Fresh Hop Ale Festival, Yakima

Held in early autumn every year since 2003, the Fresh Hop Ale Festival honors one of Yakima Valley's most abundant and celebrated harvests. With more than 40 breweries pouring craft beer left and right, the event showcases the importance and growing popularity of hops, especially in pale ales, IPAs, and imperial IPAs.

But more than paying tribute to the Humulus lupulus plant, the festival funnels profits—save for a small amount set aside for the following year's event—to local arts and science endeavors. In 2017, for example, the nonprofit group gave $103,464 in grants to 19 such organizations, fostering growth and enrichment in the surrounding community.