A friend recently showed me a beer (Droplets DIPA from Outer Range in Frisco, CO) that listed polyphenol hop aroma in the hops list. Anybody seen or tasted this before? What is this all about? I imagine it’s a cheaper way around excessive dry-hopping but am curious about the end result.
My guess is that they are using a new product from Hopsteiner called Polyphenol Aroma Pellets: https://hopsteiner.ru/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/53_02_polyphenol_aroma_pellets-1.pdf There are all kinds of new ‘stuff’ coming out to continue/further the aspects of hop flavor and/or aroma in hoppy beers. Another example of new ‘stuff’ is hop terpenes which is a liquid extract you add during the beer production process: https://oasthouseoils.com/pages/fusion-premium-hop-terpenes Over the next year(s) there will likely be more ‘stuff’ like the above developed since contemporary beer drinkers want moar hop aroma/flavor. Cheers! P.S. Have you tasted this new beer? If so, what do you think?
Thanks for digging that up. Basically sounds like refined hop pellets that concentrate polyphenols and remove alpha/beta acids. Kind of cool, kind of odd. I’ve haven’t tried this beer, but have had beers made with terpene oils and to me they seem pretty gimmicky. They probably save brewers money or allow for a more consistent product, but I’m more of a whole-cone hop and fresh hop fan.
I am uncertain of the economics here. It seems to me that there is lots of 'experimenting' going on by both the vendors and the brewers to obtain moar (or different) hop aroma/flavor to service the hop head consumers who are constantly looking for a 'shiny new thing'. I am looking forward to buying some Sierra Nevada Celebration IPA in a couple/few months. Given all of the changes at Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. over the past few years I do not know how long Celebration will be brewed before it gets replaced (by a Juicy IPA?). Cheers!
Not sure it would save more money, probably not cheap to manufacture so not cheap to buy. Could even just be working with samples provided by the manufacturer to see if it’s something they want to start using regularly.
I was referring to the terpene oils as a cost saver, sort of like the next step beyond pellet hops. I see Telluride Brewing using them a lot. Seems that, given the location of Telluride and the inconvenience and cost of shipping anything to that town, the concentrated hop oils might reduce the volume of hops a brewer would use/keep on hand. I am only speculating, but that’s usually the niche filled by more refined ingredients in food products.
Well, I am hoping they won't but it sure seems they like to produce 'new wave' IPAs these days. Cheers!
