What Is Hop Water?
Introducing Sierra Nevada Hop Splash, a sparkling hop-infused water that goes 100% on hop flavor and nada on everything else: zero alcohol, zero calories, zero carbs, and zero sugar.
Hop water is a showcase exclusively for hops, capturing the same character you love in craft beer and letting it erupt from the bubbly refreshment of sparkling water.
“If you’re a beer drinker and you don’t want to drink a beer for whatever reason,” says Sierra Nevada innovation brewer Isaiah Mangold, “and you want something that scratches the itch a little bit, this does for sure.”
When it’s not the right time for a beer, but you’ve got a hop craving, Hop Splash still delivers an IPA-inspired kick at 0.0% ABV. With Hop Splash in your fridge mix, anytime is the right time for hops.
What Does Hop Water Taste Like?
Hop Splash is all about crisp and clean refreshment. We’ve carefully brewed our hop water to extract only the bright, fruity hop notes of Citra and Amarillo varieties, keeping you hydrated with a tropical medley of peach, mango and grapefruit flavors. And with carbonation similar to our beers, Hop Splash serves up radiant fizz with every sip.
How Do You Make Hop Water?
“In beer, hops are complemented by the malt, alcohol, yeast profile, all these other flavors,” explains Isaiah. “But in water, it’s only the hops,” making it a challenge to get things just right.
“Even small tweaks in the brewing process can extract more of the polyphenol hop components,” he says, “which are perceived as bitter or astringent.”
Our Hop Water Recipe
Hop Splash starts with the same water we use for brewing beer. It’s carbon-filtered and pH-adjusted to ensure the highest-quality H20 out of the gate. Then we essentially dry-hop the water tank. We experimented with numerous hop varieties, landing on Citra and Amarillo, which surprised our brewers.
“We know Citra and Amarillo in a dry-hopped beer, but they express totally different in hop water,” Isaiah says. “They have very fruit-forward aromatics, not grassy. People may think there’s actually fruit in Hop Splash, but there’s not — it’s just hops.”
The hops steep in water for a precise, brief amount of time — long enough to score the fruity qualities before too much bitterness creeps in. Then we cool the tank to just above freezing so the hop matter drops to the bottom. From there, we give it a rapid spin in the centrifuge, forcing the hop solids out for beautifully clear water. Finally, like many of our beers, we carbonate the tank before packaging Hop Splash in cans.
Is Hop Water Non-Alcoholic?
If you’re wondering does hop water give you a buzz, you’re in the clear with Hop Splash. Hops don’t naturally have the capacity to intoxicate, and since there’s no brewing yeast and fermentation involved, Hop Splash is completely non-alcoholic, 0.0% ABV.
When To Drink Each
Besides no alcohol, Hop Splash has a lineup of other zeros — 0 calories, 0g carbs, 0g sugar — so you really can reach for one anytime. Maybe it’s at lunch with your coworkers, or after you finish a workout. Switch between beer and hop water at the cookout (good thinking). Or hey, your beach cruiser has a cup holder! Whenever a hop craving hits, drench it with Hop Splash. And never worry about running low with a Hop Splash subscription: save up to 15% off and get free shipping.
