Frequently asked questions
What are hop products?
Hop oil extracts made from whole cone hops to offer full or partial replacement of pellets or whole hops.
Traditional methods of extraction employed strong solvents to extract beer hop oils. Totally Natural Solutions think differently and use a process which is 100% natural to retain the quality of aroma and flavour profiles from hop cones. No chemical solvents or additives are involved.
What makes Totally Natural Solutions Hop Products different from other products on the market?
Our production process is 100% natural, using real hops and no chemical solvents or additives.
Our HopInspiration® products can be used as a partial replacement or a full replacement of kettle, whirlpool, and dry-hop additions. All of our products do not contain toxic residues.
Why use hop products?
Increased Efficiency and Tank Capacity.
The use of hop products eliminates beer losses due to vegetative hop material. As a result of this, production capacity is slightly increased which could yield substantial profits and savings.
Consistency in Utilisation
Identical concentrations of Iso-alpha acids, flavour, and aroma concentrations can be added to each batch of beer as the potency should remain consistent. As with whole cone or pelletised hops, each harvest year will vary slightly. This can be adjusted and specification sheets on key terpenoids can be provided upon request.
Product Stability
Essential oils are stable when stored at room temperature. However, our current storage guidelines recommend cold storage, between 1-5°C, to prevent headspace losses and retain volatiles in solution. The products are sold with a 12-month best before date.
Beer Stability
As beer ages, research has concluded that aroma and bitterness changes. Our HopInspiration® range provides a more stable bitterness and aroma due to low concentrations of staling aldehydes.
Effective Storage and Transport
While the use of hop products greatly reduces beer losses, storage space is saved and transport costs are reduced. As hop extracts and oils are highly concentrated, only a small amount is required.
Decreased Polyphenols/Tannins
‘Dry-hop’ additions with our aroma-based HopInspiration® products do not increase turbidity. The polyphenolic content of the HopShot®, HopBurst®, and HopSensation® and HopZero® is below levels of detection and therefore, cannot cross-link with beer proteins.
Absence of Pesticide Residues
All hop cones and pellets used by Totally Natural Solutions are sourced from approved suppliers with strict quality and pesticide residues standards. Where pesticides have been used, traces are within lower detection limits and only approved pesticides have been used.
Absence of Heavy Metals
Products in the HopInspiration® range are all distilled hop oils and the process does not allow any transfer of heavy metals into the finished products.
Absence of Nitrates
In dry hopping, nitrates can leach from green hop material into beer and cause issues with haze. Products in the HopInspiration® range are nitrate free and do not induce hazes.
Are hop product residues difficult to clean from equipment?
After using a hop product, cleaning of the equipment is easy and effective.
A hot-water flush and/or standard CIP procedures should sufficiently clean the tank and remove any remaining aroma.
What is the dose rate?
Start small
Our HopInspiration® products are highly concentrated. Dose with caution and perform benchtop trials before dosing the products into commercial batches. Dosing will depend on beer style and brewer preference.
Generally, we suggest:
- Lager/Pale/Lighter Beer Styles: dose at 10-20 g/hL and increase as desired.
- IPA/Hoppy Beer Styles: dose at 30-40 g/hL.
- IMPORTANT: It is crucial to consider the composition of the beer flavour matrix. Characters from malt, yeast and alcohol content impact dose rate. Due to this, it is important to determine optimum dose rates per beer. For example, beers with high alcohol content may require dosages up to 60 g/hL.
When should the products be added?
Post-fermentation.
Post-fermentation addition with sufficient blending time (2-4 hours) is a good place to start. However, we acknowledge that every brew house is different and that every brewer will have differing opinions on late/dry-hop addition. We encourage experimentation and trials to determine optimum points of addition.
How do I dose the products?
Ensure the product is properly mixed.
It is important to ensure that the product is evenly mixed and distributed. Select a dosing regime to ensure that the product can be evenly mixed. In benchtop trials, dose the products, swirl to mix, and let the products sit at least five minutes to marry with the beer matrix.
Can the product be used after the ‘Use by’ date?
Yes.
If unopened and stored at ambient or cold temperatures, the hop product is safe to use. However, a test for strength (bitterness, aroma, etc.) is strongly recommended. If in doubt, do not use the product. If greater than 12 months out of date (24 months from manufacture) the product should be disposed of and not used in beer.
Are the products vegan/vegetarian compliant?
Yes
All of our products are vegan/vegetarian and are produced from whole cone hops and pellets without solvents.
Can part of a flask be used at a later date? How is the shelf life affected?
Yes
Part used flasks can be resealed and reused at a later date. Some hop volatiles may evaporate into the headspace and be lost once the flask is reopened. We suggest cold storage and not to store flasks with less than 80% of the contents for longer than six months. The product may also be decanted into a smaller suitable container with a tight seal to reduce the headspace.
For example, a brewer orders a one litre flask and requires 100 mL of product per brew. The remaining 900 mL in the flask following the first used may be decanted in nine, 100 mL bottles, sealed, and stored cold for later use.
