Hot on the heels of non-alcoholic beer, the next frontier seems to be NA hop water, at least based on the marketing and samples I’ve been receiving lately.

The first hop water I’ve reviewed was back in February with Lagunitas Hoppy Refresher Hop Water, and despite initial skepticism I found it pleasantly refreshing. So when Hoplark reached out with samples of its new Hoplark 0.0 Citra sparkling hop water, I was definitely interested in trying it.

Based out of Boulder, Colorado, Hoplark offers three main product lines, all alcohol-free beverages that start with carbonated water and plenty of hops. There’s no fermentation or even boiling involved; the process involves dry hopping for all of the products.

The company’s “0.0” line is differentiated a bit from its Hop Tea and regular Hop Water product lines, mainly (from what I can determine) by ingredients. The Hop Water products contain only carbonated water and hops; the 0.0 products contain carbonated water, hops, and citric acid; and the Teas contain all three of those ingredients plus various teas and herbs.

0.0 Citra contains no alcohol and zero calories, and advertised as caffeine-free, vegan, non-GMO, and keto friendly. Here’s the description culled from the page:

Double dry hopped with Citra® hops, Hoplark 0.0 Citra is a flavor bomb of deliciousness. No malt, no calories, no alcohol and an extra kick of hop-tastic goodness.

Opening with an aroma of citrus and tropical fruit, the palate is hit with notes of citrus fruit and grassy herbal flavors and finishes with a bit of bitter and sweet.

My notes: Like carbonated water or seltzer, with an extremely pale yellow color. Aroma of raw hops, bitter, similar to a bitter tea, with whiffs of fruit (orange, passion fruit); there’s a bit of a tonic quality with a bit of woody character. The flavor is mild and pleasant though again, with a bit of a bitter tonic quality which is where the appeal lies, I think. There’s a not-quite-vegetal note that’s green and herbal, like chewing on a fresh hop cone with a hint of raw tobacco and some bitter chard. Light-bodied and spritzy and crisp. It’s refreshing, but has a light lingering bitterness.

I’ve been drinking through the 12-pack and I’ve been finding it fills a subtle space in the non-alcoholic realm where it’s got just enough hops to trip your beerometer, but avoids any of the heaviness of NA beers or similar. And the hops themselves aren’t overbearing or overwhelming.

Bottom line: It’s a great/lighter alternative to other NA beers, and is spritzy and refreshing for hot weather. It’s worth checking out!