![]() Overall, the effect evokes some kind of tropical fruit soda-a profile that seems a tad artificial at times, but satisfying all the same. It also seems genuinely sweet on the palate despite being zero calorie, which makes me wonder what other kind of chemical magic might be at play here-Lagunitas mentions using “Sulphur compounds” among other things to achieve the desired flavor profile. There’s some greener and more resinous qualities of course, but the tropical fruit really carries it. The same is true on the palate, which is awash in big fruit flavors of pineapple and passion fruit and various gummy notes like Welch’s Fruit Snacks. It’s surprising how fruity this is, and how sweet the nose reads. It’s reminiscent of pelletized green hops (homebrewers will understand), combined with a handful of tropical gummy candies. It smells quite sweet, with big fruity and resinous notes right up front. On the nose, Hoppy Refresher is actually rather dramatic, and more vivacious than one might expect. And once you taste this stuff, that comparison feels particularly apt. ![]() As is, the 4-packs of bottles has a certain “craft soda” feel to it. As for Lagunitas, one has to wonder if they’ve considered transitioning this into larger packs, or cans, in order to confer more value. The $10 average for a 6-pack of Sierra Nevada’s Hop Splash, meanwhile, is pretty comparable to what we might call “high value,” flagship craft IPAs. Unfortunately, this isn’t feasible for NA beer, which is simply normal beer (and normal expense) with the alcohol removed, but it would be nice if the “hop water” segment could differentiate itself on the price front. One wishes that the category might be as affordable as La Croix-style supermarket flavored seltzers, given that one of the biggest sticking points for some consumers with non-alcoholic beer is that they inherently feel it should be less expensive than standard beer. Ultimately, this puts both of these hop waters in a similar price bracket as the beers they would likely be replacing, although perhaps a bit more affordable overall. Likely the most recognizable and widespread “hop water” product on the market today, Lagunitas Hoppy Refresher only seems to be sold in 4-packs of 12 oz, clear glass bottles, at a price point of around $6-7 in most places. How do these two compare, given that they’re likely to be category leaders? And how does the experience of drinking these compare to an IPA, alcoholic or non-alcoholic? Let’s see. I happened to have samples of both in my home, so I figured a head-to-head tasting was in order. Likewise, the choice of Sierra Nevada to sell its hop water in 12 packs of cans suggests they believe that hop water is ready for a significantly bigger audience. With the arrival of another brand from a major brewery, though-Sierra Nevada’s new Hop Splash-the market now has several prominent hop water brands with the backing of recognizable craft beer brands. The one prominent exception would be Lagunitas Brewing Co.’s Hoppy Refresher, a glass bottled product sold in 4-packs, which has been around for several years, effectively laying groundwork for the style as a bigger commercial category. With that said, hop water has largely been a small novelty in the market in recent years, an experiment of small breweries that hasn’t found a lot of wide distribution. If both an NA IPA and a hop water are non-alcoholic, and both are primarily focused on delivering unimpeded hop flavors, then one might actually argue that it’s the hop water that is more cleanly serving the purpose of delivering an IPA experience without the alcohol. What, though, does that really make the “hop water” trend of recent years, in which breweries infuse carbonated water/seltzer with fresh hop flavors? There’s no malt, sure, but modern IPA has already become a category where malt flavors are practically nonexistent in most of the popular hazy examples. A traditional non-alcoholic beer, after all, is exactly what it sounds like-a standard beer that has been brewed to completion, and then had its alcohol removed. I’ve written quite a bit about non-alcoholic beer and spirits in the recent past, and it’s of course a topic that becomes especially relevant every Dry January, but one of the realities of this corner of the booze world is that each product you try has a tendency to subtly redefine your idea of what “NA beverages” really means.
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