Hop water is the sneakiest hit in the non-alcoholic aisle. Sparkling water on paper, something closer to a dry-hopped Pilsner on the first sip. We have been tasting these around the Drink101 bar since the category went mainstream, and this fall we lined up the four brands we see most often on grocery shelves for a blind panel. Here is how our best hop water picks shook out, with the hops, the bitterness, and the actual pour test, not the marketing copy.
A quick note before we get into it. All of our writing assumes you are of legal drinking age and drinking within your own limits. Hop water is a tool for having a long day feel balanced, not for lapping anyone on the dance floor. Drink what you want to drink.
What is hop water, really?
Hop water is sparkling water that has been infused with hops, the same cone-shaped flower that gives IPAs their citrus-pine aroma. No malt, no yeast, no fermentation, no alcohol. The brewer either dry-hops the finished water or runs it through a cold extraction, pulling out oils and aromas without pulling out much bitterness. The result is a seltzer that reads like the top note of a beer without the body or the buzz.
Photo: Matt Lavin, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
That matters because hop water is not trying to be fake beer. It is trying to be a grown-up seltzer. Judging it against a hazy IPA will frustrate you. Judging it against LaCroix, well, LaCroix is going to lose.
How we tested
Four brands, pour-at-fridge-temp into unlabeled Teku glasses, numbered one through four. Four tasters, including two IPA regulars and one person who thinks all beer tastes like bread. We rated aroma, bitterness, body, finish, and crushability. Crushability is our word for whether you want a second one before the first one is done. It is the whole ball game for a non-alcoholic drink that is going to replace a beer in your hand.
Comparison table
| Brand | Hops | Calories | Bitterness | Our take |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lagunitas Hoppy Refresher Original | Citra, Equinox, Centennial | 0 | Low | Our #1, closest to an IPA aroma without any body |
| HOP WTR Classic | Citra, Amarillo, Mosaic, Azacca | 0 | Very low | Our #2, cleanest finish, adaptogen pitch is a bonus not a selling point |
| Sierra Nevada Hop Splash Original | Citra, Amarillo | 0 | Medium | Our #3, more bite than the others, like dry tonic water |
| Sierra Nevada Hop Splash Citrus (Grapefruit) | Citra, Amarillo plus natural grapefruit | 5 | Medium | Our #4, grapefruit note helps if you love Paloma territory |
Our ranked picks
1. Lagunitas Hoppy Refresher Original
If you drink IPAs, start here. Lagunitas uses the same Citra, Equinox, and Centennial trio you find in their flagship IPA, and the aroma comes through loud, pineapple and pine with a soft citrus top. Zero calories, zero carbs, zero alcohol. The bitterness is dialed way back, so it reads refreshing rather than resinous. We had three of these in a row on a 90-degree porch afternoon and the first thing we said was “do we have more.” That is crushability. Grab the variety 12-pack if you want to try their Blood Orange, Berry Lemon, and Passion Fruit flavors alongside the Original. Available at Lagunitas, Whole Foods, Target, and most grocery.
2. HOP WTR Classic
HOP WTR picked a four-hop blend, Citra, Amarillo, Mosaic, Azacca, which should be louder than it is. In practice the finish is the cleanest of the four, less lingering hop oil on the back of the tongue, which makes this the easiest one to drink with food. HOP WTR also leans into adaptogens, ashwagandha and l-theanine, which is marketing territory we are suspicious of in general, but it does not hurt the drink. Zero calories, zero carbs, zero sugar. The Classic is the one to buy. Flavors like Blood Orange and Mango are fine but louder than they need to be. Available at HOP WTR, Whole Foods, and better grocery chains.
3. Sierra Nevada Hop Splash Original
Hop Splash is the serious-face hop water. Sierra Nevada uses Citra and Amarillo, and they let the bitterness come through, probably because they are a brewery first and know their drinkers can handle it. It reads like a dry tonic with a hop finish. The IPA regulars in our panel ranked this ahead of HOP WTR for exactly that reason. Everyone else put it third because of the bite. Pick based on which camp you are in. Available at Sierra Nevada, Whole Foods, and grocery.
4. Sierra Nevada Hop Splash Citrus (Grapefruit)
Same base as Hop Splash plus natural grapefruit. If you like a Paloma or a grapefruit radler, this is your lane. The grapefruit note smooths out the bitterness Sierra Nevada’s base brings, and it ends up feeling like the most cocktail-adjacent of the four. Five calories per can. The finish gets a little candied by the fourth sip, which is why it did not take the top spot.
When hop water earns a seat at the bar
The four of us keep hop water around for three jobs. First, long summer afternoons where you want hands-on-can refreshment without a 7 percent IPA parade. Second, Dry January and other alcohol-free stretches where NA beer stops feeling special after week two. Third, as a non-alcoholic mixer. A splash of Lagunitas Hoppy Refresher Original with a shot of grapefruit juice and a lime wedge is a legitimate zero-proof drink, more interesting than another LaCroix. If you want to go further on that front, our mocktail recipes and non-alcoholic spirits guides pair well with hop water as a base.
Quick answers
What is hop water, exactly? Carbonated water infused with hop oils and aroma compounds. No malt, no fermentation, no alcohol, usually zero calories and zero carbs. Think seltzer that tastes like the aroma of an IPA, not the body.
Does hop water contain alcohol? No. The big commercial brands come in at 0.0 to 0.1 percent ABV, same as most non-alcoholic beer labels. It is safe for anyone avoiding alcohol.
Does hop water have calories or sugar? Original, unflavored hop waters from Lagunitas, HOP WTR, and Sierra Nevada are zero calories, zero carbs, zero sugar. Some flavored versions add a few calories from natural flavors but nothing meaningful.
What is the best hop water for IPA drinkers? Lagunitas Hoppy Refresher Original. It leans on Citra, Equinox, and Centennial hops for a bright, citrus-pine aroma that reads closest to a West Coast IPA minus the body.
What is the best hop water with no bitterness? HOP WTR Classic. It uses Citra, Amarillo, Mosaic, and Azacca for aroma and layers in adaptogens, so you get hop character up front with a cleaner finish than the Lagunitas or Sierra Nevada versions.
Why does hop water taste bitter if there is no beer? The alpha acids in hops are naturally bitter. Brewers can extract aroma and keep bitterness low, or steep for longer and build real bite. Sierra Nevada Hop Splash leans harder on bitterness than most.
If hop water hooks you, the natural next step is working non-alcoholic beer into the same rotation. Our ranked guides to non-alcoholic beer and non-alcoholic spirits are the other two shelves of the NA-at-home kit we have been building since 2008. Drink what you want to drink, with no apology either way.
