Hops just aren’t for beer anymore. There is a growing trend of hopping up every sort of beverage, from waters and seltzers to teas and kombuchas. Hop waters in particular seem to be on a hot streak as that market segment has seen incredible growth over the past two years. Not only do they perfectly cater to beer drinkers’ love of hops, but it also opens up new occasions for hop heads to raise a glass or crack into a can.
Breweries are well-positioned to capitalize on the growing demand for hop water and other non-alcoholic beverages. In most cases brewers already have the ingredients and equipment required to make hop water. The actual process of making hop water can be very easy, so there isn’t much in the way of a learning curve. Not only is it easy to make, but there is minimal investment in both time and resources, so there are ample opportunities for creativity and experimentation.
There are some considerations regarding FDA regulations and best practices for low acid packaged beverages, so brewers will need to do their due diligence to make sure their process is proper. But overall, hop waters are an easy and profitable way to expand your product lineup, delight your current customers, and help attract new customers.
With “Dry January” not too far away, now is the perfect time to start planning your hop water and other non-alcoholic offerings.
How to Make Hop Water
The name practically says everything you need. Hops and water. There’s a bit more going on behind the scenes with water profile treatments, pH adjustments, and maybe even a little yeast, but again, these ingredients are likely already stocked in your brewery.
Let’s start with the most important part of hop water, the hops!
With all the recent innovation in the hop industry, there are now more forms and formats of hops available than ever before. Each format has specific strengths in certain applications, so it is important to select the correct product for the intended job. That’s why it’s not only important to think about what hop varieties to use (Citra®, Mosaic®, and Galaxy® are the most popular go-to’s), but also what format of that variety is the best fit.
Whole cone hops are the most traditional form of hops but have some downsides in their poor storability and efficiency. Whole cone hops are physically bulky, making them more difficult to ship and store. Additionally, their bulky nature increases process loss as they act like little sponges and suck up all your wort or beverage.
Type-90 pellets, the most common form of hops, solved many of the problems of whole cone hops. Their compact nature made them easier to ship and store. It also increased their storability by reducing the surface area that is exposed to the environment. T90 pellets are a very versatile and well-rounded format that works in a wide range of applications, including hop water.
Concentrated hop pellets like LUPOMAX® take the efficiency gains of pellets even further by reducing the amount of vegetative matter. This reduces process loss due to absorption and improves brewing yields. In addition to efficiency gains, LUPOMAX® pellets have the added benefit of consistency as all the lots go through a rigorous selection process to ensure that they are true-to-type and within tight sensory specifications.
Liquid hop products are the latest leap forward in innovation that pushes the envelope even future on efficiency, consistency, and flavor. There are many different forms of liquid hop products, each with their own strengths or intended purpose. Some products like FLEX®, which is a flowable CO2 extract for bittering additions, probably won’t have a home in hop waters. But it is good to understand the benefits each of these products offer so you can do your own experimentation.
INCOGNITO® is a liquid hop product that normally sees brewing use in the whirlpool, but depending on your process for making hop water it might be a good fit. INCOGNITO® does have alpha acids, so it is important to properly calculate your IBUs and keep them in your desired range (hint: very low). There is no vegetative matter in INCOGNITO®, meaning maximum flavor and efficiency, but it is the most sticky and viscous out of the liquid hop products so a bit trickier to use in non-beer applications.
SPECTRUM™ is a great fit for these non-alcoholic and alternative beverages. SPECTRUM™ is an easy and efficient dry-hopping product that is already being used by several beverage manufacturers and breweries in their hop water. SPECTRUM™ is variety specific (available in all your favorites like Citra®, Mosaic®, and Galaxy®) and is perfect for cold-side applications. Like INCOGNITO® it has zero vegetative matter, but SPECTRUM™ fully disperses in cold beverages.
HopKick® Makes Hop Waters Easy
The newest and most exciting liquid hop product is HopKick®. HopKick® was specially crafted for use in beyond beer beverages. Like the other liquid hop products, HopKick® is variety specific and contains zero vegetative matter, but HopKick® excels in seltzers, RTDs, and waters because it is clear, aqueous, and can even be dosed into the finished product.
HopKick® is 100% hop-derived and true-to-type, so Citra® HopKick® will taste exactly like Citra® should. HopKick® makes it easy to hop up any beverage and is the perfect place to start for any brewers who are looking to add a hop water to their portfolio. HopKick® is also 100% all-natural, with no carriers or solvents, so there are no additional labelling considerations or requirements.
Better Together
When choosing the best hops for your intended purpose, it doesn’t need to be an all or nothing approach. In general hops and hop products work synergistically together. Combining different hop varieties together helps to give well-rounded flavors and aromas. Likewise, using a couple different hop products in concert together can help you achieve optimal results. Many brewers find that using Type 90 pellets alongside SPECTRUM™ and HopKick® can help them achieve greater yields and efficiency in addition to maximizing their flavor and aroma.
Top 10 Hop Varieties for Making Hop Water:
Hop water is also a great opportunity for brewers to learn about different hops. With so many new hop varieties hitting the market in recent years, it might be challenging to stay in the know on what every hop offers. Since hop water is so quick and simple to make, single hopped waters can give you a very clear picture of what each hop can bring to your brew day.
To Yeast or Not to Yeast
Most hop waters don’t have any (or very little) fermentable sugars, so why do some brewers insist on adding a pinch of yeast? Well, other than sugars, yeast also likes to munch on hop compounds and some brewers seek out that biotransformation. Citra® is currently the most popular hop variety, in part because it offers so many sought-after biotransformation compounds and precursors. Not only does its flavor profile perfectly align with what consumers are looking for in a hop water, but the biotransformation precursors like geraniol also give the yeasts something tasty to chew on.
Water Profile and Additions
Just like with hoppy beer styles, brewers will need to build up their water to help accentuate the hop flavors and aromas. Calcium chloride is the go-to here as it helps to smooth over any bitterness and highlight the bright fruit flavors. Additions will vary based on the local water profile, but in general shoot for the familiar 2:1 or 3:1 chloride-to-sulfate ratio.
The potential of hydrogen (pH) is probably the single most important thing to pay attention to when producing a hop water. Since there is no alcohol present, there is the real opportunity for unwanted bacterial growth. That is why the FDA has guidance and guidelines for keeping the finished pH below 4.6 in packaged goods. Even a pH of 4.6 is high as most hop water producers shoot for low to mid 3s.
Citric acid and lactic acid are the usual methods brewers employ to lower pH. There are slight flavor differences between the two, with lactic acid being perceived as a bit sharper. Citric acid also has the added benefit of being an antioxidant, which can help keep your hop water tasting super fresh.
There are different legal and regulatory considerations for packaged products like hop waters, so brewers should do their due diligence in checking state and federal regulations.
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Get ready for Dry January by easily making your own hop water with HopKick®. Learn more and get some HopKick® at YakimaValleyHops.com.