Brewing Better NA Beer: Balancing Bitterness
In the absence of alcohol, balance is especially key when it comes to bitterness. How can you balance hop flavor without overdoing the alpha?
Bitterness is a defining characteristic of many beer styles, but achieving the right balance can be particularly challenging in non-alcoholic brewing.
In full-strength beer, ethanol contributes sweetness and attributes of mouthfeel that help balance the perception of bitterness. With little or no alcohol, those effects are greatly reduced. Combined with lower malt complexity in some NA beers, there’s less of a cushion between pleasant bitterness and a harsh, lingering finish.
Increasing hop additions to compensate for reduced flavor and aroma impact can make matters worse, with the potential to introduce excessive bitterness and astringency. Instead of pushing the balance heavily toward hops, brewers can use specialized hop products to build a smoother, more controlled bitterness profile.
Redihop® is a useful option for improving bitterness quality. An aqueous solution of pure rho-iso-α-acid, Redihop delivers approximately 60% of the bitter intensity of conventional iso-alpha acids, allowing brewers to build smooth, predictable bitterness. It also offers some antimicrobial benefits, an additional advantage in brewing with little to no alcohol.
“Prysma has become a vital component for enhancing the aromatic depth of our NA IPAs and pale ales. It allows us to boost amplitude without sacrificing yield or introducing harsh bitterness.”
Chris Jennings, Dir. Brewing Technologies, Sustainable Beverage Technologies
If the bitterness is already dialed in, but the hop flavor and aroma could use a boost, Prysma® offers another approach without contributing any alpha acids. Concentrated hop pellets such as LupoCORE™ and LupoMAX® can also help maximize hop expression at lower hopping rates, particularly when used strategically in the whirlpool or for dry hopping.
While Spectrum® can contribute mouthfeel-enhancing polyphenols, it also contains residual alpha acids, so brewers taking this route should be sure to factor that into the overall bitterness calculation.
By choosing products according to their specific contributions, brewers can build an NA beer with the hop character the style demands while keeping bitterness smooth, integrated, and balanced.
This post is part of a series about NA brewing. Read more on our blog.
