We’d all like to think that our beer buying decisions are based strictly on taste, quality, and other noble factors. But just like most purchases, marketing has a huge role in how we spend our money. And when it comes to beer, hops are used to sell beer.
Hops aren’t the sole player involved in the marketing of beer. Branding, packaging design, beer styles, past experiences, and many other factors influence what beer we decide to buy. But hops are leveraged a lot more than one might think. And it’s not just craft beer; macro beer uses hops in their marketing as well.
Let’s discuss how hops are influencing how we buy beer.
How Hops Are Used To Sell Beer
Hops are a key ingredient of beer. Every beer uses them but there’s a number of factors that changes how they impact the final product.
The type, quantity and method used have dramatic impact on what the beer smells and tastes like. As you might guess, IPAs are known for having a lot more hop flavor and bitterness than a brown ale. And IPAs are by far the most popular style of craft beer.
So I don’t blame breweries for using hops as a vehicle to promote their beer – it’s an important ingredient that can’t be overlooked. In many ways, using hops to sell beer also helps educate customers – more on that later.
Here are a few factors that will impact how hops create unique flavors in beer and are used to drive sales.
Quantity
One of the way that hops are used to sell beer is to state how much is used. This can be done directly by listing out the pounds of hop per barrel or batch. But it can also be done by using phrases like Double Dry Hopped (DDH).
DDH is a very popular term in the world of craft beer. Dry Hopping is the use of hops after the fermentation process. This is where the beer can gain extra flavor and aroma from the hops without as much bitterness.
Adding the word Double in front of Dry Hopping normally means that the brewer used even more hops during this process. The idea is that more hops equals a better tasting beer.
While I love hops, more hops doesn’t always mean a better beer. But it does speak to the effort a brewery put into ensuring that ample amounts of the precious hops were used. And craft beer fans seems to go crazy for any beer that says DDH on the label.
Method
The manner in which hops are used is a great way to promote a beer. Traditionally, breweries used Whole Cone Hops. These hops haven’t been altered in any way and have a shorter shelf life than other forms of hops. Sierra Nevada still only uses whole cone hops while other breweries have transitioned to other methods.
Most breweries use pelletized hops which are means the flower has been processed and condensed into a concentrated pellet. These have a long shelf life and are often considered easier to use.
Similar to whole cone hops, Fresh or Wet Hops beers use hops that are freshly harvested. This is only possible during the harvest season of early fall.
And recently, a new method of hop has been created that takes the oil of the hop flower and converts it into a substance called Lupulin powder.
All of these methods will create different results as they impart different flavors and intensities into the beer. So breweries are going to make sure their customers know how they are making their beer. The use of Lupulin Powder, whole cone or wet hops can make a beer much more desirable.
Type
The type of hop used in a beer is the most commonly used way a brewery will use hops in their marketing.
Hops are amazing. They have different characteristics based on their variety, where they are grown, and how they are used.
For this reason, many craft beer fans will find certain hop varieties that they prefer over others. And they often seek out beers that use their favorite hops.
Specific hops have gained widespread appreciation. For example, Citra is one of the most popular hops among craft beer drinkers. Breweries know this and leverage this popularity in their marketing.
This is evident as more and more breweries list the hop varieties contained in the beer right on the packaging. And if it isn’t there, then you are bound to find it listed on their website.
Some of these hops can be hard to get and/or expensive, so a brewery is wise to promote this when they are able to secure some. And even if it is a common hop variety, just by listing it on the can or bottle it will help distinguish this beer over one without these details.
Hops Are Used To Sell Beer – Even Macro Beer
We probably tend to think of IPAs and Pale Ales when it comes to understanding how hops are used to sell beer.
Even macro lagers use hops in their marketing and advertising. Do you recall seeing commercials stating that Miller Lite is “triple hopped”? Many used that ad campaign as a way to mock them and say they only use three hops per batch. But this also highlights the importance of hops in marketing for beers that aren’t even considered “hoppy”.
And more recently, Heineken advertised that the added the very popular American Cascade hop to their Heineken Light.
Why are macro beer companies marketing this way? Do they think their customers care? Do they think they can win over the craft fans?
They are trying to make their beer seem just as good as craft to the casual beer drinkers. Craft beer focuses heavily on promoting the use of hops so they are trying to make sure that their brands aren’t left out.
This is wise marketing as craft beer has done a good job of making their beer appear to have better, higher quality ingredients. So marco beer wants to remind everyone that they also use hops we’ve heard of in their beer.
Education Vs Marketing
One thing I often wonder is if the brewery is using their marketing to help educate or to just get their product to sell.
Education is a key element to the hobby of craft beer. Many of us truly want to know more about beer, how it’s made, and why it tastes the way it does.
Understanding hops is a great way to gain this level of education. Learning about different hop varieties as well as the methods of how they are used will help a drinker better appreciate their beer.
But I get the feeling that some are just leveraging the hops as a means to capture attention rather than help educate.
I can’t blame them because the use of hops in marketing is really effective. If there are two IPAs to choose from and one is promoting the use of a hop that I’ve enjoyed in the past, I’ll probably pick that one.
I’ve found that the New England IPA trend has become very reliant on the marketing of specific hops. Citra, Galaxy, Mosaic are three that are very commonly used and listed on beer cans. But if the brewery can get hops that are even more rare, then they are nearly guaranteed to get lots of attention.
Learn Even More About Hops! Hoppy Vs Bitter: What’s The Difference?
Conclusion
Does any of this matter? Do customers really care about hops?
Yes and yes.
Hops are vital in the beer making process and their presence is easily recognized. Furthermore, when customers buy a beer because of the hops used in it, breweries take note and will market future beers based on the hops.
I love to see hops listed on the label of a beer. It helps those that have beer knowledge to better predict the flavor of the beer. And for those that are still learning, they can start associating specific flavors to certain hops – learning as they go.
The more information provided, the more we can all learn and know about craft beer – and that’s a very good thing.
