BarthHaas, one of the leading suppliers of hop products and services, is broadening its new PHA (Precision in Hop Aroma) range with a selection of water-based alternatives. The new choices are water-based, avoiding additional carriers like ethanol or propylene glycol and added like all PHA products after filtration. This empowers breweries to craft high-caliber beers and hop-infused drinks with greater efficiency and profitability.
Thanks to the post-filtration addition of PHA products, breweries can effortlessly create a spectrum of flavors within a single production run. Hannes Schneeberger, BarthHaas' Head of Sales Management, explains, “This allows breweries to expand their offerings while streamlining production, saving time, money, and resources. Breweries utilizing our PHA products gain a significant edge over competitors.”
The introduction of this water-based line marks a significant advancement in the PHA range. Utilizing a proprietary emulsification technique developed by BarthHaas, hop extracts seamlessly dissolve in water.
Dr. Alicia Muñoz Insa, BarthHaas' Technical Sales Manager, highlights, “This innovation caters to customers seeking cleaner labeling by avoiding additional carriers like ethanol or propylene glycol, making our PHAs the epitome of clean-label solutions.” Designed for lightly hopped beverages like lager, pilsner, and alcohol-free beers, as well as hop water, the PHA range offers unparalleled versatility.
Additionally, the PHA variants boast lower storage and shipping costs compared to traditional hop products. “With dosages ranging from five to 40 milliliters per hectoliter, transportation requirements are minimal,” notes sales expert Hannes Schneeberger. “From 20-milliliter samples to 1,000-liter containers, we cater to the diverse needs of any production facility.”
Dr. Alicia Muñoz Insa underscores the significance of BarthHaas' new PHA range, stating, “It equips brewers with the means to effortlessly craft flavorful, high-quality beverages with absolute precision and control.”
And she adds: “Many brewers create hop aroma using hop oil products like PHAs. These products are perfect for producing a stable and consistent hop character. Since they are oils, they require a carrier substance to be soluble in beer, and as a brewer, you need to make the best choice for you.
“Until now, carrier substances like propylene glycol or ethanol were the only choice for PHAs and all other hop oil products. For some brewers, these are great, safe solutions. However, now there is a new technology that allows you to use water instead of these carrier substances for PHA hop oils. For breweries that choose not to use propylene glycol or ethanol, this opens up a whole range of new solutions for hop aroma. Thanks to this new state-of-the-art innovation, we have been able to completely remove the carrier substance from our PHAs. In other words, water-based PHAs consist only of hop extract and water. Everything else remains the same.
“PHA products come in a variety of flavors and varieties. We have PHAs made from individual hop oil fractions (PHA Classics), and we have PHAs derived from a single hop variety (PHA Topnotes). These products are 100% hop-derived extracts. They are 100% soluble in cold beer or wort. PHAs are easy to dose and can help you streamline flavor options and even differentiate your beers at the filter. With PHAs, you can achieve controlled aroma in your finished beer by adding an extremely efficient product. Since they are completely liquid (no plant materials), you have no beer losses, which in turn increases your efficiency. And all this at lower costs than conventional hop products.”
