New Product Friday: Hop Wtr

Sparkling Hop Water with Adaptogens and Nootropics

Image Credit: https://hopwtr.com/products/lime-non-alcoholic-sparkling-hop-water-12-pack

During Dry January, we focused on the no or low alcohol trend in beverages. One of the challenges of this trend is making a product taste and “feel” like alcohol, but without the alcohol.  Adding natural flavors and other functional ingredients are critical to doing this, but without the side effects or negative consequences of the alcoholic drink.  HOP WTR plays into this trend this with their newest lime hop water.  It is marketed as tasting like “a cold cerveza dunked with a fresh lime wedge.”  Let’s look at the ingredients to see if this non-alcoholic beverage is could be considered comparable to the real thing.

Carbonated water: I.e. Fizzy water. Self-explanatory.

Vitamin C: Besides being beneficial for immune and skin health, beverage companies often add vitamin C as a preservative so that the beverage doesn’t taste oxidized or “off”.  In this case, the hops oxidize or degrade quickly, so the Vitamin C helps to slow down that process.

Hops and Natural Flavors: Hops can be considered natural flavors as they impart a flavor from a natural source.  Here, natural lime flavors (i.e., flavor chemicals that come from various types of limes) are added to hops.

L-Theanine: The single nootropic to the nootropic claim.  50 milligrams is not a lot (most studies show 100-200 milligrams is most effective for relaxation and de-stressing, similar to what alcohol does)

Ashwagandha Root Powder: The single adaptogen to the adaptogen claim. Ashwagandha is known to promote a sense of calm and controlling stress, like the effects of alcohol. We know that the amount of ashwagandha is less than 50 milligrams.  Most studies with ashwagandha use the more concentrated extract form in the range of 600 milligrams or more.  Food and beverage companies include the powder form as it is cheaper than the extract form.  The amount included in this beverage would be significantly less than what you would need to get a benefit.

---

Final Evaluation

Ingredient Quality: A.

Ingredient Clarity: A. Everything here is easy to understand and makes sense to the product

Functional Benefit: B. The company did call out the amount of L-Theanine, something that most in the industry would not do.  50 milligrams is not a lot, but it could possibly deliver the benefits of calm and relaxation.  Although ashwagandha offers the same relaxation benefits, the amount in the beverage is so low that it is doubtful that it is effective.

Nutritional Value: A. At zero calories, this is a great alternative to a Corona.

Overall Score: A-.  The L-theanine amount might give you the sense of calm and relaxation as an alcoholic drink, but the ashwagandha would not. However, this product has minimal ingredients and no calories.  It’s a great alternative to a higher calorie alcoholic beer.

Have you tried this product?

This product was evaluated purely based upon the perspective of a food scientist. It has not been consumed. The writer’s opinions are purely her own without influence or affiliation with the brand.