There’s a new lifestyle beverage that has been growing in prominence in recent years, sharing space with the beer industry and capitalizing on the surging demand for sparkling waters — hop water. It’s a non-alcoholic, low- or zero-calorie carbonated water infused with hops.

The trend follows in the model of LaCroix, Topo Chico and similar seltzer-based beverages, highlighting a sparkling water industry that has exploded in popularity over the past decade. A 2021 report by Grand View Research revealed that it was a nearly $30 billion dollar industry in 2020, projected to grow more than 12% per year through 2028.

So, it’s no surprise that the brewing industry would tap into this growing field, featuring hops rather than fruits or other flavors.

One of the first sparkling hop waters, H2OPS, hit the market in 2014, and in 2017 Lagunitas Brewing Company released its IPA-inspired Hoppy Refresher. This month, Bend’s own Worthy Brewing Company entered the market with Hop Quencher, Tropical Strata Hop Sparkling Water.

Worthy provided me with samples to try and shared more information about its development.

Hop Quencher was inspired by examples such as Lagunitas Hoppy Refresher and the non-alcoholic products from Colorado-based HopLark such as HopTea.

“I’d say that they both played a key role in the main motivation as well as the development of the product itself,” said head brewer Brian Chapman via email. “In my opinion, the Lagunitas Hoppy Refresher does a great job to appeal to a larger audience with its more ‘soft drink’ characteristics and HopLark really showcases the hops in a way that us in the industry are more in tune with. We wanted to make sure that we could hit on both of those points.”

Hop Quencher is crafted with carbonated water, Strata hops, and lemon juice to balance the acidity. There’s no alcohol, and the nutritional information on the can lists zero grams of carbohydrates and one calorie per 12-ounce serving.

According to Chapman, there were five iterations of the sparkling water before the team found what they wanted. The biggest challenge? “Personally, it was all food safety,” he said. “Without the alcohol there are more control points and regulations to monitor and comply with and it became a personal mission for all of us to ensure that we are not only making a delicious product, but also a safe and high quality product.”

The other notable ingredient is xanthohumol, a compound found in hops (and by extension, beer) found to have anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and possibly anticancer benefits. According to Chapman, the aim is for five micrograms per serving. It’s added in powder form with the Strata hops in the whirlpool.

Worthy is careful not to claim any health benefits from drinking Hop Quencher, though the label notes that it is “Boosted with Xantho.” A scannable QR code takes you to the website hop-quencher.com with information on the compound from peer-reviewed sources.

By now you’re probably wondering—how does Hop Quencher actually taste?

I poured it into a glass to reveal a slightly milky pale yellow color, and a lively, spritzy carbonation. There’s a subtle fruity-sweet aroma, similar to strawberry candy or fruit leather, with a lightly spicy green hop note reminiscent of tobacco. There are also evanescent notes of berry, field greens, and perhaps light cantaloupe.

The flavor is really quite light, crisp, and mellow, with an herbal, tea-like quality offering a subtle hop bitterness, tobacco leaf, hints of raspberry leaf, and unripe berries. There’s a lingering hoppy character evoking black tea, and a mineral water presence with an active, fizzy body that’s lively on the tongue.

I’ve had the opportunity to sample a number of other sparkling hop water products in recent weeks, including the new Sparkle Hops line from Pelican Brewing Company, and I’d place Hop Quencher among the best of what I’ve tried. It’s crisp and refreshing, with just enough hop character to be interesting without straying into harsh bitterness or astringency.

I asked Chapman if there are plans for varieties featuring different hops. “Depending on how well this is received, I firmly believe that there will be more opportunities to showcase the plethora of different hops and the unique flavors that we’ve all come to love,” he said.

Hop Quencher is available directly from the brewery and will be sharing space on the shelves in the beer aisle of stores. If you’re curious or looking for non-alcoholic alternatives to beer, it’s worth picking some up to try for yourself.

Meddling Kids Kölsch — Crux Fermentation Project

Look Alive Coffee Stout — Immersion Brewing

Raspberry Cosmic Crisp Cider — 2 Towns Ciderhouse

Sneaky Deer Hazy Double IPA — Spider City Brewing

Party Time Pils — Wayfin