Hop Forward
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Just in time for summer, guest writer Antoine Tedesco shares a round of refreshing alcohol-free hop-infused sparkling water.
When someone mentions hops, most people immediately think of beer. But, those beautiful green cones from the Cannabaceae family of plants have also been used in cooking, steeped in teas, added to backyard gardens as ornamental plants, as well as used medicinally.
And, thankfully for the purpose of this review, sparkling water has been infused with hop goodness to create a thirst-quenching beverage with flavour notes sublimely reminiscent of your favourite beers.
Keep in mind, though, hop-infused sparkling water is very much its own thing!
Toronto’s Great Lakes Brewery (GLB) has been toying with the idea of a non-alc offering for some time, said Troy Burtch, the brewery’s Senior Manager of Sales and Business Development.
“We wanted something that we could take to events while providing an option to those joining us here in the taproom or patio with a non-alcohol drink that tastes like a beer,” he said in a recent email interview. “And, Hop Pop is awesome to have during a hard day at work.”
GLB’s Hop Pop isn’t just carbonated water with some hops tossed in for flavour. The brewing team tanks de-oxygenated reverse osmosis water, adds hops, orange and lemon zest and some vanilla beans. It sits for a while, then it’s cooled, filtered and canned. The result is a pleasant hop bitterness balanced by vanilla sweetness with the citrus zest really punching up the tropical notes.
When asked to compare Hop Pop to one of the GLB line-up of brews, Burtch said they tend to think of their BURST! … New England Pale Ale. “The (Hop Pop) body is clean, crisp, refreshing and hop forward that packs a flavour punch... just like a fresh can of BURST!,” he said.
Hop Pop isn’t the only hopped water out there. You can also give Guelph, Ontario’s Wellington Brewery’s Sparkling Hop Water a pour.
“We’re beer lovers but we also know you can't drink beer all the time,” said Brad McInerney, Marketing Manager for Wellington Brewery, via email. “We usually have carbonated water on tap for staff. We tried adding some hops to the carbonated water and it was a hit. We decided to share these Sparkling Hop Waters and see if folks loved them as much as our team did.”
It must have, because Wellington has two year-round Sparkling Hop Waters, a Cascade hop and Chinook hop version, as well as limited small-batch releases featuring different hops. Both year-round offerings use 100% locally grown Ontario hops from Hayhoe Hops.
The hop water “takes a quick trip through the brewhouse vessels”, then gets dry-hopped in a tank where it spends about a week. Wellington’s unique brewing process uses yeast, which McInerney said helps with biotransformation, a process by which the yeast brings out different flavours from the hops, without the grassy and herbaceous hop character.
Poured for this review was the Cascade, and two limited releases (Comet and Nelson Sauvin), each showcasing the specific hop’s subtle aromatic and flavour profile: the Cascade sparkles with bright citrus and grapefruit notes, the Comet hops offer a hint of grapefruit and tangerine, and finally the essence of grape and fresh berries can be found in the Nelson Sauvin.
“While these Sparkling Hop Waters have a nice hoppy character that’s reminiscent of a well-crafted beer, they are still their own thing,” said McInerney. “It’s really just about the hop characteristics and sometimes by letting a hop variety stand on its own you get some unique and unexpected flavours.”
FOOD PAIRINGS:
The flavour profile of hop-infused sparkling water can be quite subtle so best to avoid overwhelming food combinations. That said, they go great with seafood (oysters are really something paired with the Cascade), BBQ ribs or spicy chicken wings (try with the Comet), fruit salads and a charcuterie board of soft cheeses and cured meats (Nelson Sauvin is a great choice). For something sweet, GLB’s Burtch suggests some French vanilla ice cream in a large glass with some Hop Pop for a good time.
Antoine Tedesco,
Contributor, Alcohol-free Beer & Cider
Antoine brings his love of food and life to Some Good Clean Fun’s beer and cider reviews. From journalism to government to charities and non-profits, Antoine’s passion is telling compelling and impactful stories. He loves anything that makes his taste buds smile and his ears dance.
