Hopwater: Original

The Original variety of Hopwater is its most straightforward and simple formulation. It pairs carbonated water with natural hop tincture, cane sugar and citric acid. The product weighs in at 48 calories and 48 IBUs (international bitterness units, for those not familiar beer, which it is commonly used on) and it has a very light mouthfeel. We were worried that it would be too hoppy, but it’s definitely not. The sugar definitely helps cut the bitterness ,and what’s left is more of a floral flavor than the heavy hop flavor that we were honestly expecting (it is, after all, called Hopwater). In a lot of ways, it’s closest cousin in terms of flavor is tonic water, which often has a similarly bitter flavor. In any event, the product is drinkable and we’d definitely come back to it again. Packaging is a 12 oz. clear glass bottle, which has been decorated with two separate labels. The branding feels like it’s going for a hipster/ironic style as we otherwise can’t think of a reason why a bearded man in a suit would fit on the product. That’s fine in that it catches the eye and, compared with the first version that we saw, the design looks polished. Calling it Hopwater is fine and straightforward, but a front panel mention that this is a sparkling product would be very helpful. Overall, this is one of the more unique soda concepts that we’ve sampled lately and, while there’s definitely room to continue to evolve, the product has pretty strong execution.