COULD IT SUCCEED WHERE HARD SELTZERS COULDN’T?

One is a fizzy boozy water designed to taste of… often, not much at all. While the other is a non-alcoholic water chock full of bold hop flavours. Liquid-wise they’re polls apart and yet they’ve been launched to do exactly the same thing; bolster the fortunes of beleaguered brewers. But whereas hard seltzers failed to make a splash in the UK following runaway success Stateside, could hop water stand a better chance?

There’s something in the water. In this case, it’s hops. If you’ve never heard of this latest iteration from the beer world, let us acquaint you. Designed to scratch an itch for a full-flavoured hoppy hit, but minus the calories or booze, hop waters are a carbonated water, infused with the flavour of hops. In short, they’re supposed to offer the flavour of a beer, but minus the booze. And with the full hydration of a water, they’re a healthier way to scratch an itch.

In fact, digging a little deeper, they’re inspired by the flavour profile of an IPA. First emerging in the US a few years ago, some of the brewers who have launched one so far include Lagunitas, Snake River and Sierra Nevada. Most use aroma hops rather than bittering hops, to achieve the full and complex citrus flavours you’d associate with an IPA. And some even use a little yeast to bio-transform the hops.

However, this genre of liquid — sometimes nicknamed a hop spritzer — is not a non-alcoholic beer. There’s no malt used, it’s not brewed and there’s never any alcohol content to be removed. All of these things mean it’s both lower in calories (most hop waters are zero calories) and better for the environment; both increasingly powerful motivators for consumers.

A Category On The Rise

And of course, with it being ‘Dry January’ still, a number of new non-brews are joining the already burgeoning category in the US. The brand new launch from Iron Hill Brewery uses Azacca, Jarrylo, Cascade, Chinook, Cashmere and El Dorado hops, said to give a combined citrus and pine flavour. Director of Brewery Operations Andrew Johnston, said: “I’m a brewer, which means I love beer and everything about it, but I was excited when we made the decision to create a beverage with beer attributes and zero alcohol. As a beer drinker myself, I often drink water while I’m drinking beer for added hydration.” Austin Beerworks has also just added its own hop water, made with Citra, Centennial and El Dorado hops, designed to allow customers to enjoy the hop-forward quality of its drinks, more of the time.

There are a myriad of other new launches. But, they are broadly similar and brewers are largely aiming for the same prize; to win back lapsed customers and tap into broad lifestyle shifts that are seeing more consumers moderate, abstain, or else choose alcohol without associations of bloating etc.