Is using Hop Extract "Craft Brewing"?

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BreezyBrew

BreezyBrew

IPA is my spirit animal
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It seems as though more and more craft breweries that brew high IBU IPAs and double IPAs are utilizing hop extract for their bittering editions. To me, craft brewing means brewing the authentic way, without shortcuts. A recent extremely popular craft beer here switched to using hop extract, and you can tell a difference in the beer.

It almost seems similar to high fructose corn syrup in soda these days instead of sugar. Anyone else agree/disagree?
 
I agree, but I'm sure it comes to the cost of hops. And the majority might get upset about their IPA 6 pack going up 2-3 bucks. It gets that high because of all the hands that touch it.

Breweries will sell to distributors for double the cost of goods (ideally), then the wholesaler will sell to the beer stores after their cut, then the store has to make money too! So even an extra 50-60 cents per 6 packs can radically effect price down the line.

My guess anyways.
 
"Craft Brewing" doesn't have an established definition, so...yes, it can be "craft brewing."
 
I wouldn't equate hop extract to corn syrup, or even malt extract. There can be benefits to using hop extract in place of a bittering charge, especially in an IIPA. Such benefits include: reduced harshness of hop polyphenols/tannins, cleaner bittering, less hop trub, consistency of alpha acid %, etc.

Try adding 3.5 oz. of Apollo at boil start vs. an equivalent bittering charge of HopShot and you'll see what I mean.
 
BreezyBrew said:
It almost seems similar to high fructose corn syrup in soda these days instead of sugar. Anyone else agree/disagree?
Click to expand...

Disagree, the analogy is flawed; corn syrup is not sugar, whereas hop extract is still hops and produces a good quality product.

Does craft brewing mean that everything has to be done the hard way? If so, all craft breweries are already cheating through the use of modern technology.

I see no reason why craft breweries need to brew like they did 50 or even 100 years ago.
 
disagree... it's another way to add IBUs and I don't see it as a shortcut.
 
Define "the authentic way" to brew. Brewing processes, ingredients and technology vary greatly depending on time period, beer style, geography, etc. I would say there is no one "authentic way" to brew beer, which is pretty damn cool to me.
 
Check out Hill Farmstead or Alchemist and tell me if using hop extract is inferior. Some of the best beer in the world comes from those guys.
 
Hop extract is a good way to get lots of flavor and/or bitterness without incurring some of the extra flavors that come from whole or pellet hops, such as grassy flavors, etc.

Yes, it's a shortcut, but it serves a purpose, and it's generally limited to REALLY hoppy beers where there is already going to be a huge portion of hops going in.
 
It's also a very stable, consistent product....which hop pellet or cones, are not. Plus it's a cost saver on a few levels you wouldn't understand if you don't have pro experience especially in the larger scale breweries. Procuring hops years in advance at a premium, renting sub zero storage space to keep back stock fresh, volume loss, inconsistent alphas, inconsistent FLAVOR (Amarillo 2013 anyone?) more bulk packaging, more storage space used.....all this stuff is what comes down to a 7.99 6er vs a 10.99 6er.

Better product at a cheaper price point. Its still craft
 
BreezyBrew said:
It seems as though more and more craft breweries that brew high IBU IPAs and double IPAs are utilizing hop extract for their bittering editions. To me, craft brewing means brewing the authentic way, without shortcuts. A recent extremely popular craft beer here switched to using hop extract, and you can tell a difference in the beer.

It almost seems similar to high fructose corn syrup in soda these days instead of sugar. Anyone else agree/disagree?
Click to expand...

As a person who has used hop extract, I disagree vehemently. Hop extract is not just some shortcut but rather a new type of ingredient to achieve different results. If you desire those different results, then you use a different ingredient or method. This whole "more craft than craft" thing is a bit absurd. Rogue has their own farm where they grow ingredients for their beer...does that mean that everyone else who doesn't have a farm should either throw in the towel or plant a farm? It's the same mentality that has given corn such a bad reputation over the years. People are afraid to use adjuncts in their beers because they won't be "crafty" even though you can brew an amazing beer using adjuncts.
 
This is like saying brewers who brew using malt extract aren't brewing real beer. Or brewers who use sugar. Better quit drinking Belgian beers then, lest you be a hypocrite.

Or like saying people who don't grow their own hops and grow/malt their own barley, and harvest their own wild yeast aren't brewing real beer either. Logical conclusion of that line of thinking.

As has been mentioned, there are specific benefits to using hop extract. And I have zero problem with it.
 
BreezyBrew said:
To me, craft brewing means brewing the authentic way, without shortcuts.
Click to expand...

You mean like "brewed the hard way"? :p

I can see a place for it if they're only using hop extract for bittering additions, leaving the "real" hops for later additions where their presence will be more noticeable. This seems like the same argument as "are homebrewers really homebrewers if they use malt extract?", which...meh.
 
So the first beers were brewed with wild yeast and no hops at all.. just some fermentables.. to me a craft is something that is tried, changed, CRAFTED, and perfected, at least until something new comes out where you then rinse and repeat. So yes, hop extract is craft brewing, as craft brewing is always evolving. Its not some gimmick term that some of the bigger 'beer' companies like to throw around, its an actual beneficial idea for crafting a beer.
 
i won't drink anything that isn't made in a cooler and buckets.

well, after i finish this case of clipper city peg leg. then i won't. most likely.
 
Personally, I can't wait for the day we have beer dispensed like current soda fountains.

freestylex-large.jpg


Pick your style, alcohol level, bitterness level, hop combination, flavor level, aroma level, ester/phenol blend, carbonation, and serving temp. Boom!
 
GilaMinumBeer said:
Personally, I can't wait for the day we have beer dispensed like current soda fountains.

freestylex-large.jpg


Pick your style, alcohol level, bitterness level, hop combination, flavor level, aroma level, ester/phenol blend, carbonation, and serving temp. Boom!
Click to expand...

Thought that was the picobrew.
 
This thread has me thinking: Dried Cannabis vs. Hashish

You come out with the same results (affect) using either, they just have different levels of concentration of the desired compounds.

I've used hop extract and thought the results were pretty impressive; especially when combined with the aforementioned cannabis extracts ;d
 
The more alarming thing about that contraption is the ability to add flavors to almost anything. I was hesitant (as I'd never had one worth drinking) until I tried Peach Mello Yello and fell in love.
 
Qhrumphf said:
The more alarming thing about that contraption is the ability to add flavors to almost anything. I was hesitant (as I'd never had one worth drinking) until I tried Peach Mello Yello and fell in love.
Click to expand...

Those things make a Vanilla Barq's that I'd probably rank in my top five beverages if I ever quit drinking beer.
 
Craft brewing means what you want it to mean. The Brewers association has made up their own definition, but you don't have to buy in to that if you don't want to. I make my beer choices mostly by taste, but price comes into play as well. I really don't care what's in it as long as its food safe.
 
No I don't think it is craft brewing.

Thats not to say that it can't be used to make beer thats good or even better, or that a brewery that uses it in one beer is no longer a craft brewery, but to me craft means that a craftsman (or craftswomen of course) should have a hand in the stages of production.

Of course a line has to be drawn as to what stage of production the craftsman steps in, for example its fine to use pellet hops, to buy malted grain or irish moss, but hop extract, or brewing from malt extract crosses the line for me.
 
So...the fact that every other aspect of the beer is the product of craftsmen is totally negated by the addition of a liquid that was created via a completely seperate craft?

I have to call my dad and tell him he hasn't built anything of note in his 40 years as a cabinet maker because he doesn't mill his own lumber. He'll be heartbroken.
 
1977Brewer said:
So...the fact that every other aspect of the beer is the product of craftsmen is totally negated by the addition of a liquid that was created via a completely seperate craft?

I have to call my dad and tell him he hasn't built anything of note in his 40 years as a cabinet maker because he doesn't mill his own lumber. He'll be heartbroken.
Click to expand...

Thats actually an exact example i had in my head while writing the post.... Like i said the line has to be drawn somewhere. In that example buying timber is fine, buying the knobs and runners and screws and handles is fine, but getting a prefab facade and sticking it on the front takes away from the craft status.....

The point im trying to make is that its an arbitrary line and i think hop extract crosses it.
 
Hop extract is inauthentic? What, exactly, do you think you're doing when you put hops in the boil?
 

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