Brewing Better NA Beer: Delivering Consistent Hop Character
Your flagship IPA has a signature hop profile. Can you deliver that same character in a non-alcoholic version?
Want to create an NA version of your flagship IPA? One thing you shouldn’t have to worry about is the consistency of your hop flavor and aroma.
In full-strength beer, alcohol can influence how aroma compounds are released and perceived, as well as how the entire flavor profile comes together. Without it, subtle differences between batches may become more noticeable to consumers. For brewers working to replicate an established beer in a non-alcoholic format, consistency becomes especially important.
Consistent hops and advanced liquid hop products can help reduce variability while giving brewers greater control over the finished aroma and flavor profile. Enhanced and concentrated hop pellets such as LupoCORE™ and LupoMAX® allow brewers to achieve impactful hop flavor and aroma at lower hopping rates. Their concentrated format can help deliver repeatable results while reducing the amount of vegetative matter introduced into the brewing process.
Sensory Plus is a multi-layered selection process combining expert sensory evaluation with advanced technical analysis. It’s how we ensure that products like LupoMAX® and LupoCORE™, perform consistently in your brewhouse, batch after batch, year after year. Learn more about Sensory Plus >>
Liquid hop products offer another advantage: the ability to make targeted adjustments late in the brewing process. If a certain batch’s aroma profile isn’t quite where it needs to be, products such as Prysma® can help fine-tune hop flavor and aroma without adding alpha acids. Spectrum® can also contribute hop-derived flavor and mouthfeel, although its residual alpha acids should be considered when managing bitterness.
When developing an NA version of an established beer, brewers may already be making significant changes to their processes and ingredient selection to achieve a new set of goals. Using consistent hop pellets and liquid hop products provides one less variable to manage, helping maintain the character consumers expect from a familiar beer.
This post is part of a series about NA brewing. Read more on our blog.
