Hopping instead of fermenting: the future of non-alcoholic beverages through hops?

Article written in collaboration with Alexandra Berry

In the heat of summer, who hasn't felt like drinking the lightest beer possible?

How do you choose a beer with little or no alcohol and without the watery taste or residual sugar found in these styles?

Fermentation transforms sugars into alcohol. A lack of fermentation means that unfermented sugars remain in the beer. This explains the lack of roundness with hints of sugar on the finish.

Hops seem to be the ideal solution to this lack of taste or complexity. In fact, hopping your beer cold allows you to impart aromas (fruity, exotic, bitter) without affecting the alcohol content.

Aroma made easy

In all its variations, hops have the immense quality of being able to be used hot (to extract their bitterness) or cold to take advantage of their aromas. This is where dry-hopping is the key: cold-brew your drink with fresh hops to extract all their oils without transforming the acids.

Source : https://www.brewer-world.com/dry-hopped-vs-wet-hop-beers-whats-the-difference/

Brewing expert Scott Janish has proven that a very short cold hop infusion is preferable for extracting aroma.

Why a short infusion?

By carrying out many tests on different beers with different hops, Janish was able to prove that a long infusion did not necessarily produce more aroma, and that a twenty-four hour cold hopping was sufficient for extraction Aromatic. In fact, certain terpenes such as Linalool and Myrcene are only soluble for a few hours. This extraction potential can be increased by shaking the solution, but this also risks increasing the drink's astringency and bitterness.

A long infusion can therefore develop this risk of astringency and an anticipated bitterness, especially if infused with pellet, even with hops with a very low alpha acid content.

During cold infusion, the aim is often to develop the thiols (4MMP or 3MHA) which are the precursors for the aromas of passion fruit, guava, grapefruit, blackcurrant... These thiols are extremely fragile and very easily extracted during dry-hop. Experiments show that these thiols are much more pronounced after 24 hours of infusion than after two to eight days.

A reminder of the thiol-rich varieties best suited to dry-hopping: Citra, Simcoe, ChinookMosaic, Ekuanot, Hallertau BlancSummit, Nelson Sauvin.

Why a cold infusion?

A cold infusion also helps avoid " hop bite ", a rather aggressive, vegetal bitterness caused by the development of polyphenols in the final beer. These are very much limited by low temperatures and a shorter infusion.

The ideal: a short, cold infusion of hops

Cold dry hopping also reduces the chances of hop creep, particularly in non-alcoholic beverages still containing unfermented sugars.

*Hop Creep occurs when the addition of hops produces fermentable sugars, notably dextrins, which can referment in the must. This refermentation can create diacetyl (a buttery taste), but also over-carbonation of the beer, which can cause bottles to explode.

Finally, Scott Janish also managed to prove that a long infusion of hops could reduce a beer's foam retention capacity... We always prefer a fresh beer with a good head of foam!

Non-alcoholic beers

After Dry January, and now Sober October, the trend for alcohol-free beers is on the rise, encouraging breweries to redouble their creativity to produce beers that are both tasty and healthy!

To make alcohol-free beer, brewers generally eliminate alcohol from the beer, or limit the formation of alcohol during fermentation. It is in fact possible to prevent alcohol formation during fermentation by using special yeasts (NAY, or LoNa, for example) or by interrupting the fermentation process.

Some examples of non-alcoholic beers

Athletic Brewing: This American brewery was created by an athlete who was tired of having to choose between his "work out" and his aperitif. He decided to devote his brewery exclusively to non-alcoholic beers. You can already find his Golden Ale, IPA and Stout on the French market. The IPA is generously hopped, and despite its 0 degrees, retains a nice complexity on the palate!

Source : https://athleticbrewing.com/

Craig Allan: Agent Modérateur, a beer strong in hops but with 0 alcohol.

Source : https://www.gueuledejoie.com/produit/craig-allan-agent-moderateur/

Gallia IPA: Brewed in Paris, this IPA is loaded with Sorachi Ace and Sabro hops for an explosion of coconut and tropical fruit bitterness.

Source : https://galliaparis.com/collections/toutes-nos-bieres

Alongside non-alcoholic beers, we can find other drinks fermented with hops that can be drunk first thing in the morning:

Kombucha... with hops!

This fizzy, slightly vinegary beverage is fermented with a sweet tea-based solution. The tea is fermented in a hermetically sealed environment, in which a culture of yeast and bacteria resembling a rubbery membrane, commonly known as "Kombucha mother" or SCOBY*, is placed. This culture feeds on the sugar in the tea preparation, fermenting it. The sugar is fermented into alcohol, which is then transformed into carbon dioxide - hence the final effervescence.

*SymbioticCulture of Bacteria and Yeast

As well as being light, alcohol-free and refreshing, kombucha has the added benefit of being probiotic and therefore highly beneficial to the intestinal flora.

Add hops for a kick of bitterness, and kombucha becomes a thirst-quenching, tasty and healthy drink!

Example of Kombucha with hops:

Hoppy Loven - this drink is 99.4% kombucha with a little green tea and black tea, then cold-hopped with hops from northern France.

Source : https://lovenkombucha.com/

Kombeercha - this beverage is a green tea kombucha brewed with bittering and aromatic cold-brewed hops. The bouquet of a light IPA with the benefits of artisanal kombucha!Source : https://www.lokki-kombucha.fr/recettes/

Hoppy waters

Finally, what could be more natural than water lightly infused with hops? If you like iced tea, then replace it with fresh, fruity hops. A few bubbles and a few ice cubes, and you've got a drink that's perfect for hot weather. 0 alcohol, 0 calories and all good for you.

Some then have fun mixing flavors by adding fresh fruit or floral extracts such as rose, hibiscus or fig leaf...

Some examples of Hoppy Waters:

90BPM: Calvin et Hops, a thirst-quenching, sugar-free, detox sparkling water with lime and hops.

Source : https://www.90bpm.beer/products/calvin-hops-eau-petillante-houblonnee