There is no doubt that there is a “haze craze” happening in the beer industry right now. There are numerous brews on the market whose visual appearance is remarkably cloudy, but not all beer lovers know how haze is created. What they do know is that hazy beers, particularly IPAs, are not only opaque in appearance, but they offer intense flavor profiles and rich mouthfeel.
A beer’s haze is a result of how the ingredients behave and change during the brewing process, and one of those critical ingredients is hops. Hops are an integral part of the craft brewing experience because of the unique flavors and aromas they impart on the beer as well as the role they play in preservation and a beer’s shelf life. Hops make beer more complex; they add layers of flavor and bitterness, contributing to the beer’s weight and mouthfeel on the palate.
Brewers use hops for a few different reasons: to add bitterness to the brew, to add aroma and flavor, and to create haze or cloudiness. These three elements of hops are carefully adjusted and specified to serve the ever-evolving market and is evident in existing hop-forward beer profiles. Here, we’ll break down what haze is, how it’s created, why consumers are gravitating towards hazy beers, and how SōRSE has made creating haze easier for brewers.
What is Haze?
In the brewing industry, haze is a word describing a beer’s visual appearance – a beer that is not clear or translucent. Brewers also use the word “cloudy,” “opaque,” or “turbid” to describe a hazy brew.
There are a few factors that contribute to a beer’s hazy appearance – namely polyphenols from the hops and proteins in the grain – and how the two interact with each other during the brewing process. Polyphenols are naturally occurring micronutrients in plants. When the polyphenols and the proteins attach to one another, this creates large molecules that are suspended in the beer. In a New England IPA, the haze can be attributed to dry hopping – the process of adding large amounts of hops to the brew after the boil during fermentation. The hops’ polyphenols bond with the beer’s proteins which creates the haze as well as the rich mouthfeel and complex flavors. West Coast IPAs are slightly less hazy than New England IPAs because the hops are added to the kettle earlier in the process, during boil; hops are added in this phase for bitterness and flavor.
Yeast can also contribute to a beer’s haze. At the end of the fermentation process, the yeast wants to combine with other yeast cells, and they will either rise to the top or sink to the bottom – which means the haze of the beer will not be uniform from top of the glass to the bottom.
Why are Consumers Haze-Crazy?
In the early 2000’s, the Heady Topper, a new IPA from the Alchemist brewery in Vermont was released; it is believed to be the first hazy beer to come to market. The brewer had decided not to pasteurize or filter the brew, two processes which extend the shelf life of the beer. The thick, cloudy beer was well-received by the Alchemist’s patrons, as they noted how flavorful, aromatic, and juicy the Heady Topper was. Those qualities can be attributed to the plant and protein particulates that gave the beer its cloudy appearance. Since then, hazy IPAs and other cloudy beers have risen in popularity, because many of the hazy brews offer additional complex sensory qualities to the aroma and/or mouthfeel compared to traditional bright beers.
Emulsion Technology: The Perfect Solution for Creating or Enhancing Haze
For a brewer who wants to enhance their beer’s level of cloudiness and improve the haze’s stability, a hop-derived, water-soluble emulsion can provide the perfect solution. SōRSE has applied its emulsion technology to hops for seamless integration into all beer, NA beer, and cider products. Haze is the combined effect of obscuration of light impacting the product; SōRSE’s emulsion reflects, refracts, and absorbs wavelengths of light.
SōRSE’s Haze Addition product gives a beverage producer the ability to reach the desired level of cloudiness with a single, one-step ingredient without impacting flavor. There is no noticeable impact on the brew’s sensory qualities when using the product, which is achieved by intentionally selecting materials that do not add flavor or aroma, giving brewers full sensory control of their craft.
In terms of creating a stable cloudiness, most traditional methods of creating haze in beer are prone to destabilization; many commercial products drop their haze over time. The stability of SōRSE’s haze product is the result of a paradigm shift in approach. We did not look to develop a stable system; instead, we intentionally created a constantly mixing, chaotic system which maintains the brew’s cloudiness over time.
In terms of integrating Hop Haze into the production process, our “drop and go” solution is easy to use and requires no extra equipment to transform a bright beer into a haze, bold beer. The product format is designed for accuracy and versatility in the dosing process, giving brewers the ability to dose for their desired level of haze and a consistent drinking experience from the first sip to the last. It also saves brewers money with processing time reduced and fewer ingredients used. It is important to know that Haze Addition will potentially have interactions with other materials that are sometimes used in production. The product does not play well with pectin, so brewers should avoid using both in the same system.
If you’re a product developer and are interested in how our Haze Addition product could improve or enhance cloudiness of your beer and stabilize your haze, come to the SōRSE! Check out our Producers Series blog on Hi-Wire Brewing, one of Haze Addition’s lighthouse customers, then request a sample to try for yourself!
Bell’s Hopslam. Dogfish Head. Discord. Latitude 48. Ruination. What do these words have in common? They are all the names of craft beers with a taste and aroma best described as “hoppy.” What does a hoppy beer taste like? That depends on the type of hops used, where the hops are grown, how much of the hops are integrated into the flavor profile, and how the beer is brewed.
Here, we’ll dive more into the world of hops and cover all aspects of this plant!
WHAT ARE HOPS?
Hops are the dried, cone-shaped female flower of a climbing perennial bine called Humulus lupulus that are integral to beer brewing because they impart bitterness and flavor as well as contribute to stability and shelf life. A bine is a climbing plant which climbs by its shoots; a vine is a climbing plant which climbs using suckers or tendrils. Hop plants are dioecious, meaning the male and females flower on separate bines.
There are four major components of a hop cone: the Strig, the Bracteole, the Bract, and the Lupulin glands.
Source: Wikipedia
The strig is the base of the flower where the hop connects to the bine. This is where most of the tannins are found. Tannins give the hop medicinal properties via polyphenols, which are the major contributor to the harshness or smoothness of a particular hop’s bitterness.
The bract is the exterior part of the hop comprised of leaf-like structures. The bract also contains polyphenols.
The bracteole are located in the hop cone’s interior that give the cone its structure.
Within the bracteole reside the Lupulin glands, which hold the resins and essential oils. When you break open a hop, the glands are yellow and resemble a pollen pouch; once the glands are exposed, the aroma of hops can be quickly detected. The Alpha acids, Beta acids, and essentials oils produced by the lupulin glands have the greatest impact on the beer’s taste and aroma, making them an important part of the brewing process.
Alpha acids give beer its unique bitter taste and suppress bacterial growth.
Beta acids contribute to a beer’s shelf life as well as the yeast’s ability to grow.
Essential oils or terpenes like Humulene, Myrcene, and Caryophyllene add aroma and flavor. Typically, the notes they impart are described as “citrusy,” “earthy,” “spicy,” “piney,” or “herbaceous.”
HISTORY OF HOPS
Today, hop-forward beers like IPAs and Pale Ales are featured prominently on store shelves and in tap rooms. The practice of integrating hops into the brewing process goes back hundreds of years. Prior to the 11th century, brewers used a mixture of herbs, called gruit, to flavor their beer. Between the 11th and 16th centuries, brewers started replacing the gruit with hops because hops were cheaper and more effective at preserving beer.
In 1512, Duke Wilhelm IV of Bavaria introduced Reinheitsgebot, the beer purity law,which enforced the restriction of any ingredient outside of hops, barley, water and later, yeast, in every stein. This recipe served Bavaria very well for 500 years and Germany for the last 100.In the late 1700s, hops became even more widely used as they were added to help maintain the quality of the beer, given some of the hop’s compounds’ antimicrobial properties; the iso-α-acids specifically act against bacteria. Hops were utilized for that purpose in the beer that was transported by ship from England to the British colonies in India, which is how IPA, India Pale Ale, got its name.
Brewers utilize hops to develop complex, unique flavor profiles to meet consumer demands for craft brews. Brewers have options as to how and when to incorporate hops to the brewing process. Each option affects bitterness, aromas and flavors of the finished brew as well as time, machinery, and overhead costs of production. While the integration of hops into the brewing process presents challenges for brewers, new technology such as emulsion technology offers innovative solutions that may become the future of brewing with hops.
GROWING CLIMATE
Hops grow best in temperate climates where it is warm during the summer and cold during the winter when the vine goes into dormancy and all of the plant’s energy goes to its roots. The plant thrives in the climate between the 35th and 55th parallels on either side of the equator.
It typically takes three to four years for a plant to mature. Because hops can grow as tall as 20 to 25 feet, they need to be supported by trellises. When the bines on the hop plant begin to emerge, they grow upwards of six inches. At this point, they are trained to grow vertically, clockwise, around the trellis.
HOP VARIETIES
While there is only one hop species, Humulus lupulus, there are several varieties, also known as cultivars, that brewers choose for their different properties.
Aroma Descriptors for Hop Cultivars
Hop Cultivar
Aroma
Brewer’s Gold
Black currant, fruity, spicy
Cascade
Flowery, citrus, grapefruit
Chinook
Spicy, piney, grapefruit
Willamette
Mild, slightly spicy, black currant, herbal
Fuggle
Delicate, minty, grassy, slightly floral
Hallertau
Mild, pleasant
Hop varieties are classified into three categories: Bittering hops, Aroma hops, and Dual-purpose hops. With their high Alpha acid levels, bittering hops lend bitter flavor to beer. With low to medium Alpha acid levels, aroma hops mostly contribute to the beer’s smell. Dual-purpose hops offer aromatic properties as well as medium levels of alpha acids.
GLOBAL PRODUCTION
The United States and Germany are the largest producers of hops across the globe. The main producers of hops in the US are Washington, Oregon and Idaho; in Europe, Germany and Belgium; and in the southern hemisphere, New Zealand. In 2019 in the US, 113 million pounds of hops were harvested, an increase of almost 5% over 2018. For hops grown in the Pacific Northwest, Washington production represents 73.2% of total production, followed by Idaho with 15.2% and Oregon with 11.6%.
HOPS: A KEY INGREDIENT TO CRAFT BREWING
Hops are an integral part of the current craft brewing experience because of the unique flavors and aromas they impart on the beer as well as the role they play in preservation of the beer and its shelf life. Hops make beer more complex; they add layers of flavor and bitterness, contributing to the beer’s weight and mouth feel on the palate.
Brewers use hops for three different reasons:
To add bitterness to the brew using bittering hops with their high Alpha acid levels
For adding aroma and flavor using aroma hops with their low to medium Alpha acid levels
To create haze, the cloudy appearance of the liquid that the hop particles create.
These three elements of hops are carefully adjusted and specified to serve the ever-evolving market and is evident in existing hop forward beer profiles.
Dry & Earthy: English Pale Ale, English India Pale Ale, Belgian IPA, Ordinary Bitter
Fruit & Full Malt Body: California Common, American Amber Ale, American Imperial Amber Ale
Bold, Herbaceous & Citrus: American Pale Ale, American Fresh Hop Ale, American India Pale Ale, American Imperial IPA
HOP DELIVERY METHODS
There are several ways brewers can add hops to their brews. Each method brings with them a unique set of challenges.
Dry hopping is the process of steeping or soaking the hops in the wort during fermentation or conditioning which releases the hop cones’ essential oils. These oils add aroma and flavor to the beer without adding bitterness. When dry hopping, a brewer can choose to either use dried whole female flowers (cones) or hop pellets, which are produced by grinding up dried hop cones and pressing them into pellets. There are benefits and challenges to using these two different dry hop forms.
Using whole hops imparts a very fresh aroma and flavor, and they are easier to remove from the brew, although they take up a considerable amount of space in the fermenter and absorb a fair amount of beer. Using hop pellets tends to create a more stable end product, with less risk of oxidation. While there are advantages to dry hop pellets, it comes at the loss of essential oils, which are integral to the sensory effect of the resulting brew.
Adding dry hops to a brew has obvious benefits such as creating complex, unique flavor profiles; adding varying levels of bitterness; and extending shelf life. Currently some brewers choose not to filter out all of the hop particles to create haze or cloudiness in the final product.
There are also unavoidable downsides to this method of hop integration.
Hop creep is best described as continued fermentation in the keg or bottle after packaging. Hop creep is caused by the trace amounts of residual enzymes in the hops converting starch into sugar. In the presence of yeast, the sugars will ferment and will produce Diacetyl, an organic compound commonly used in the flavor industry for its buttery quality. Diacetyl is what will make a beer taste buttery.
Hop burn is the process of over-hopping the brew to compensate for the fading of the hop aroma over time.
Oxidation is the exposure of the hops to oxygen which can result in off flavors.
Yield loss is the result of the dried hops rehydrating upon being added to the brew. The dried plant matter absorbs the wort, which can result in a 5% or higher loss of the entire batch, even with the use of centrifuges and filter presses. If the brewer is producing a double, triple or quad-hopped beer, which are higher in alcohol by volume, they can lose upwards of 12 to 15% of the entire batch.
Brewers can create a hazy or cloudy appearance in their beer by not filtering out all of the hop particles. The downside to this is that it can shorten the beer’s shelf life, which can lead to more buyback after the “best before” date.
HOP OIL
Hop oil is the resinous, pure essential oil extracted from fresh hops. Brewers typically add hop oil in the boiling phase to provide flavor and aroma. There are two methods of extracting the oil from the cones, leaving the biomass: steam-distilling and liquid CO2 extraction. Because hop oil has a longer shelf life than fresh hops, a brewer can purchase it and store it until they are ready to use it. Utilizing hop oil has trended in popularity among brewers to preserve shelf space and mitigate issues associated with dry hopping, although this newer method of incorporating hops comes with its own set of challenges.
The first significant challenge brewers face using hop oil is that oil is the oil is not water soluble. Because of this, 190 proof spirits such as Everclear need to be used as solubilizers, but those spirits are not always available on the market, and some jurisdictions do not allow for the addition of spirits in beer production.
Another challenge is unwanted separation and stratification that can occur in the finished product. When a brewer adds solubilized hop oil to the boil, which is mostly water, it will result in a visual separation between the two liquids where hop oil rises to the top of the water layer. During the boil, there is heat and agitation, where some of the oil is absorbed into the solution due to fats in the kettle. In this case, the conversion rate of the oil into the water is very low. If the brewer doesn’t keep the tank continually mixing, there will be stratification of the flavor layers. During the time where the tank cools down slightly and the solution is slowly drained from the tank, the hop oil rises to the top of the water solution and is eventually be drained off as waste.
Dosing variance from batch to batch has proven to be an obstacle for brewers using hop oil. Because hop oil is highly concentrated and used at usage rates as low as 2 to 5ml per barrel, accurate dosing is extremely important. Minor variances can have significant impacts on the beer’s sensory profile. The margin for error is small, and working with potent, viscous oil increases the risk of dosing in excess leading to discarded batches.
WATER-SOLUBLE HOPS: THE FUTURE OF HOPS IN BEER
Using its patent-pending water-soluble technology, SōRSE Technology emulsifies hop oil for a simplified one-step integration into the brewing process resulting in better-tasting beer. SōRSE water-soluble hop oil emulsions are customizable in aroma, flavor, and opacity.
Enhanced Aroma and Flavor Profile
24 to 48 hours after the emulsion is added to the brew, there is a continued aromatic flavor bloom that can continue after packaging. Water-soluble emulsions give the brewer the ability to work with their supplier and fine tune the flavor profile using other terpenes and natural ingredients. Water-soluble hop oil emulsion also eliminates the possibility of hop creep and hop burn, both unwanted sensory experiences for the consumer.
Visual Esthetic – Haze
With hop emulsion, brewers can customize the beer’s visual attributes such as a hazy appearance without reducing its shelf life. The primary control point for creating haze is the size of the emulsified oil droplets; the smaller the droplet size, the greater the haze. The stability of the haze emulsion within the beer is 12 months and continues to maintain its integrity.
Versatility
Hop emulsion gives brewers the ability to create multiple uniquely flavored beers from one foundation base. Because the water-soluble oil is added at the end of the brewing process, the batch can be divided and infused with different emulsions formulated for specific sensory attributes.
Consistent, Predictable Dosing
When working with highly concentrated hop forms, dosing is critical to the batch’s sensory profile. Because water-soluble emulsion are homogenous and have a low level of viscosity, the loading level of the hop oil can be adjusted to minimize dosing variance.
Cost, Time, and Labor Savings
The time and labor saved using an emulsion includes sourcing, storing, and preparing the hops for processing as well as time in the kettle, filtration, and cleanup. The “drop and go” emulsion integration process is an efficient end-of-production step. Once the emulsion has been added to the bright tank, carbonation and bottling can begin. Because filtration loss is minimized, the yield per batch increases by 5+%.
Because the emulsion is added post-filtration as opposed to incorporation processes at several and different brewing stages, the time and labor associated with dry hopping is eliminated and the production window is shortened. Increased throughput means a faster turnover of batches and an efficient use of materials.
Sustainability and Environmental Footprint
Sustainability practices are becoming more important to today’s producers and consumers, who are more aware of their environmental footprint. Replacing dry hopping with hop oil emulsion increases the brewer’s sustainability efforts; with the hop oil emulsion utilization rates, a quarter of the hops are needed for the same output. By replacing hop flowers or hop cones with hop oil emulsion, the amount of fuel needed for transport decreases. With a decrease in storage requirements, brewers reduce their energy usage.
As the climate continues to change, some hop varietals are dying. Fractionation of aroma compounds allows the hops farmer to grow heartier varieties, strip away the off-flavors, and deliver rare aromas without the agricultural risk.
The history of hops’ role in the brewing and production of beer is a rich one, going as far back as the 10th century. Today, brewers have fully embraced hops, given the varied flavors and aromas that the cones can impart on a beer, as well as the way it can alter a beer’s appearance, creating cloudiness and haze.
Consumers of craft brews know what attributes they like in their beer—while one person may seek out a Porter for its depth of flavor, richness, and caramel or chocolate notes, another may choose an American Pale Ale for its medium body, its maltiness, and its citrus and floral flavor notes – otherwise known as its “hoppiness.” As craft breweries continue to create uniquely flavored beers utilizing the essential oils in the hop cone, there continue to be hurdles based on the hop delivery method.
SōRSE Technology has designed a novel solution with a seamless, one-step delivery method for hop integration, providing a better-tasting, less labor-intensive craft beer. Designed with brewers and consumers in mind and backed by 200+ years of food and beverage product development experience, SōRSE hop emulsions provide a better hop delivery system for the brewer, and a better-tasting beer for the consumer.
Great beer begins with great ingredients. Book a meeting today to speak with our team about the solutions we offer for beer and other beverages. For your hops, go to the SōRSE.
Beer Thirty. If you’re wondering what this term means, consider the saying, “It’s 5:00 o’clock somewhere!” That refers to the hour when people clock out of work and head to the pub or the bar to get drinks with their co-workers and friends.
Beer Thirty is essentially the same thing – except specifically directed at those who prefer an IPA or a Stout over a gin and tonic or a glass of wine. It’s a call to action of sorts – the Urban Dictionary refers to it as “the time of day at which drinking a beer becomes necessary.”
So who coined this term? “Beer Thirty” is actually a song written by Ronnie Dunn and Terry McBride that was recorded in 1999 by the country duo, Brooks and Dunn. Here’s a portion of the lyrics: “Got my paycheck, I’m on my way/It’s finally Friday, my kind of day/I punch the clock, I hit the road flying/It’s beer thirty, a honky tonk time.”
In 2020, the popular country band Florida Georgia Line also released a song titled “Beer:30.” The song starts like this – “It’s beer thirty, and I’m thirsty/And I been workin’ like a dog all week long/So maybe somethin’ cold won’t hurt me.” That something cold is probably not a glass of water!
You can see from the songs that “Beer Thirty” is a call to action of sorts. “What time is it?” “It’s Beer Thirty!” There is no doubt people around the globe love their beer, and in the US, craft brews are particularly popular. To give a sense of perspective on how much the industry has grown, in 1990, there were less than 70 breweries in operation in California; 10 years later, in 2000, there were over 200. In 2021, there are more than 1,100 breweries operating in California. That’s tremendous growth over 30 years.
There are a ton of great beers on the market today made by small and large craft brewers alike, which give the consumer no shortage of options when choosing their beverage to celebrate BeerThirty with their friends and coworkers.
Beer Thirty: Powered by SōRSE
A lot of consumers who have Beer Thirty on their minds are focused on a beer’s flavor – and that flavor is often influenced by hops, the flowering bine that contributes to a beer’s smell, taste, mouthfeel, and haze. Like cannabis, hops’ botanical cousin, hops’ essential oils can be extracted from the plant to be infused in products. That said, the extractions are tricky to work with because they are viscous and sticky, but the SōRSE R & D team solved that problem by creating hops-derived water-soluble emulsions.
At the beginning of September 2021, SōRSE debuted the hop-derived brewery product line at the Craft Brewers Conference in Denver, the largest craft brewing industry gathering in the United States. Using our patent-pending water-soluble technology, SōRSE emulsifies hop oil and other functional ingredients to solve for common challenges among brewers. These products can be used as a beer recipe building blocks or as corrective agents in the brewing process. The three newly released brewery line products are Haze Addition, Mouthfeel, and Hop Topper.
Haze Addition allows brewers to customize a beer’s visual appearance, resulting in a deep, stable haze. This product solves for a long-standing issue by creating a haze that maintains its stability over the shelf life of the beverage.
Mouthfeel gives brewers the ability to create the feeling a full-bodied brew offers, providing an instant correction for watery, thin beers. Mouthfeel is also particularly useful for creating low and non-alcoholic beers that mimic the experience of drinking higher gravity styles.
Lastly, Hop Topper gives brewers the opportunity to create a boost in flavor and aroma in their beverages. It is a full spectrum hop oil emulsion that provides and enhances hop aroma in beers, hop seltzers, or other non-beer products.
When it comes to infusing flavor and aromatic hop qualities that consumers look for in their craft beer at Beer Thirty, SōRSE’s brewery products are the most efficient, stable delivery system for consistent, great-tasting beer. SōRSE is currently working with lighthouse customer Hi-Wire Brewing, an innovative brewery based in Asheville, NC which won a GABF gold medal in the Experimental Beer category announced at CBC. Hi-Wire is using Haze Addition for their Lemon Meringue Blond Ale.
Great beers for Beer Thirty begin with great ingredients. If you are a brewer or product developer who would like more information on our hop-derived brewery product line, book a call with our team today to explore our products. Come to the SōRSE for your hops needs in 2022!
– SōRSE Technology, previously known for water-soluble cannabinoid solutions, launches three hop-derived products built for brewers during CBC in Denver.
– SōRSE and Yakima Chief showcase a new solution for the N/A category: Water-Soluble CBD Distillate from Yakima Chief Hemp Powered by SōRSE.
SEATTLE, Sept. 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — SōRSE Technology, the leading water-soluble emulsion provider for infused products, debuted its hop-derived brewery product line at the Craft Brewers Conference in Denver, the largest craft brewing industry gathering in the United States. Also showcased was SōRSE and Yakima Chief Hemp’s Water-Soluble CBD Distillate, which launched in August. This emulsion further diversifies Yakima Chief’s product portfolio and gives their customers the opportunity to create a non-alcoholic infused beverage.
The SōRSE Technology team debuts hop-derived solutions at the Craft Brewers Conference.
Using its patent-pending water-soluble technology, SōRSE Technology is emulsifying hop oil and other functional ingredients to solve for common challenges among brewers. These products can be used as corrective agents in the brewing process or beer recipe building blocks. The water-soluble emulsions are a simplified one-step integration into the brewing process and customizable in terms of aroma, flavor, and opacity. When it comes to infusing flavor and aromatic hop qualities that consumers look for in their craft beer, SōRSE’s brewery products are the most efficient and stable delivery system for consistent, great-tasting beer.
SōRSE debuted three brewery line products at CBC – Haze Addition, Mouthfeel, and Hop Topper. The Haze Addition emulsion allows brewers to customize a beer’s visual attributes, solving a long-standing issue by creating a haze that maintains its stability over the shelf life of the beverage. The Mouthfeel emulsion brings fuller body to beer and is particularly useful for creating low and non-alcoholic beers that mimic the drinking experience of higher gravity styles. Lastly, Hop Topper is a full spectrum hop oil emulsion that provides and enhances hop aroma in beers, hop seltzers, or other non-beer products. All solutions are water-soluble for seamless one-step integration, making it easy for brewers to enhance their beverages and create consistency between batches.
SōRSE is currently working with lighthouse customer Hi-Wire Brewing, an innovative brewery based in Asheville, NC which won a GABF gold medal in the Experimental Beer category announced at CBC. Hi-Wire is using Haze Addition for their Lemon Meringue Blond Ale.
SōRSE’s VP of Brewery Product Lines, commented: “SōRSE has created a superior water-soluble technology and has uniquely applied that in the Cannabis space. Now, looking at the beer industry, we can utilize this tech to solve long-standing challenges like haze stability or fading hop aroma. Brewers have always been innovators, creators, and tech enthusiasts, and the reception in Denver was overwhelmingly positive. We can’t wait to taste the delicious products brewers will bring to market with our help.”
Following CBC, SōRSE is presenting their hemp and hop-derived solutions at Hop Selection in Yakima, WA.
About SōRSE Technology SōRSE Technology is the leading water-soluble emulsion technology for infusing functional ingredients into beverages, food items, nutraceuticals, and personal care products. SōRSE is designed for product developers to make oil-based functional ingredients water-soluble for seamless integration and increased efficacy, while also providing the consumer with a consistent, safe, and enjoyable experience. With an R&D and operations team of over 30 employees, SōRSE powers more than 100 leading products including Cann, Mad Tasty, and Major. SōRSE Technology is available in North America, South America, Australia, Europe, and Asia.
PR Contact: Dana Perkins, Director of Public Relations Dana@sorsetech.com 206-851-6804
SōRSE Technology enters the brewing industry with Yakima Chief Hemp, a sub-entity of Yakima Chief Hops.
New Water-Soluble CBD Distillate by Yakima Chief Hemp Powered by SōRSE is available for purchase.
Seattle, Washington—July 20, 2021— SōRSE Technology, the leading water-soluble emulsion provider for infused CPG brands, in partnership with Yakima Chief Hops, the leading 100% grower-owned hop supplier, announced today its newest product offering for brewers, Water-Soluble CBD Distillate.
With more than six generations of commercial farming knowledge, the Yakima Chief Hemp growers cultivate their hemp with the same quality best practices and consistency as their hops, due in part to the similarities between hops and hemp plants. Operating for more than 20 years, the hemp is processed using YCH’s extract facility under the same internationally recognized quality standards as their hop products. Using its patent-pending technology, SōRSE Technology has converted the distillate into a water-soluble 3% emulsion for seamless integration into functional beverages for the growing Beyond Beer sector.
Yakima Chief Hemp’s Water-Soluble CBD Distillate is classified as broad spectrum and contains an array of minor cannabinoids, terpenes, and essential oils, which contributes to the product’s superior flavor profile. The new product offering allows brewers to expand their product line with CBD-enhanced beverages utilizing a one-step, “drop and go” solution directly into the brewing process. The CBD solution offers accurate dosing, a refreshing and enjoyable taste — and it’s available at scale. Water-Soluble CBD Distillate is available for product evaluation and purchase through Yakima Chief Hemp.
Yakima Chief Sales & Marketing Officer, Bryan Pierce, said, “On behalf of Yakima Chief Hemp, we are thrilled to be working alongside SōRSE to supply brewers with even more solutions for creating new and exciting beer styles. We know the beer industry thrives on innovation, and it is our goal to continue providing brewers with quality ingredients that allow them to continue expressing their creativity and talent. We look forward to building on this partnership with SōRSE as they work to provide the brewing community with leading Water-Soluble CBD distillate.”
SōRSE VP of Brewery Product Lines commented, “SōRSE is excited to partner with Yakima Chief Hemp, a clear leader in providing quality ingredients for the craft beer industry, and introduce a superior Water-Soluble CBD distillate to brewers. As the Beyond Beer category grows and hemp continues to gain interest, SōRSE and Yakima Chief Hemp are now able to bring hemp from their fields to brewers in a format that makes building out a beverage portfolio quick and easy. This product release marks the beginning of a greater journey for SōRSE working with brewers and a sneak peek of what we have to offer the beer industry.”
Contact Yakima Chief Hemp today at hemp@yakimachief.com to order your water-soluble CBD distillate. For early adopters interested in learning more about SōRSE brewery product lines, contact SōRSE for pre-release offerings before more products launch at the Craft Brewers Conference in September.
About Yakima Chief Hemp
Yakima Chief Hemp is a sub-entity of Yakima Chief Hops and 100% grower-owned hemp supplier, processing and supplying extract for the hemp and CBD industries. Due to the similarities between hops and hemp, YCH and their network of hemp growers are able to grow and process hemp using six generations of farming knowledge and more than 20 years of extract production experience. Together they approach hemp production with the same quality and environmental standards as their industry leading hop products used in breweries throughout the globe. Through Yakima Chief Hemp, they continue their mission of connecting brewers with the family farms of the Pacific Northwest.
About SōRSE Technology
SōRSE Technology is the leading water-soluble emulsion technology for infusing functional ingredients into beverages, food items, nutraceuticals, and personal care products. SōRSE is designed for product developers to make oil-based functional ingredients water-soluble for seamless integration and increased efficacy, while also providing the consumer with a consistent, safe, and enjoyable experience. With an R&D and operations team of over 30 employees, SōRSE powers more than 100 leading products including Cann, Mad Tasty, and Major. SōRSE Technology is available in North America, South America, Australia, Europe, and Asia.
Follow SōRSE to stay up to date with product announcements and event details at www.sorsetech.com or email info@sorsetech.com for more information.
When it comes to figuring out how to incorporate flavors into food and drinks, our Director of Research & Analytics, Donna Wamsley, is the person to talk to. She was recently interviewed by Brewing Industry Guide on consumer trends and what’s on the horizon for the beer industry.
If you haven’t heard, cannabis-infused beer is a new and rising trend in the United States and beyond. No, it is not alcoholic, but thanks to the THC, you still get a buzz. Fresh Toastlist five things you need to know before you run out and buy a keg on their website.
