These are extracts of the hop essential oil from the luplin glands, usually then offered in a soluble form with a food grade carrier. They are added post fermentation, usually to the bright beer or even direct to cask.

As such the hop aromas added are not lost through any yeast interactions or filtrations, but some of the complex flavour matrix isn’t present (from the polyphenols or the glycosides).

The balance to be decided by an individual brewer is are the compromises in flavour and aroma worth the benefits. Soluble hop oils can provide an alternative that is easy to use, reproducible and most importantly efficient in the brewing process.

Hence in a shortage the equivalent hops may be able to dry hop 2 or 3 equivalents compared with if the hop cones or pellets were added conventionally.

Given the stark choice between ceasing to offer some dry hopped beers, isnt it time to trial the use of a dry hop product?

Of course, dosage trials are essential, given the complexity we mentioned earlier of any individual beer matrix.

On a bench top, base beer can be dosed by pipette and new flavour combinations developed in an afternoon, reducing innovation times for the fast moving marketplace, but also offering diversity and adding another tool to the brewers toolkit.

A further benefit of hop products lies with their solubility. Hence Low Alcohol beers benefit from “dry hopping” with hop products, a clearly impossible step with hop pellets or cones.

In conclusion, hop oil based products offered to impart dry hop character as widely available. They have a many benefits such as easy of use, reproducibility, and economics.

In a hop shortage such as that seen at present they can offer the varietal profile that might otherwise into be available and extend the brewlength. However brewers need to complete trials to evaluate the products in their own base beer.