Revolutionary New Hop Product Stars In Hop Flake Hazy

07 May 2025

A new hop product promising lower weight, easier storage, and reduced wastage may soon revolutionise the way hops are used in brewing - and after its first two brews, that revolution may come sooner than expected.

A transparent, feather-light and fully water-dispersible hop flake, currently in a trial phase, is the result of an innovation by Wairoa Hop Extracts, led by Cam Ealam and Rob Goodman.

"It's a relatively simple process," says Cam, an experienced hop grower at Holmdale Farm in Wakefield. "We capture the compounds contained within hops in a way that protects the volatile's as much as possible. Through a unique process the team has developed, this is dehydrated and turned into a hop flake maximising the aroma and flavour that brewers and beer drinkers alike are after, which we've named Flake-It.”

The innovation offers many advantages to brewers, including reduced weight for easier transportation, the option of ambient storage, full water dispersibility, and reduced wastage - without any sacrifice of the true, variety specific aroma or flavour.

Wairoa Hop Extracts approached Sprig + Fern Brewing Co. late last year to discuss a trial brew using the Flake-It product. Following a series of internal trials, two full-scale brews were completed, both of which will be available from Wednesday 14 May.

Tracy Banner, owner and Master Brewer at Sprig + Fern Brewing Co., has seen many brewing innovations in her 40+ years in the industry. Having been the first to commercially brew with other new hop varietals, Tracy and her team were excited to be presented with Flake-It.

“I am humbled that they approached us to provide feedback on their two brand new hop flakes, using the Motueka™ and Nelson Sauvin™ varietals. There was a reasonable amount of time spent in the lab, assessing dosing rates, confirming that the flakes fully dissolved, and offered the desired characteristics. The results were quite astonishing.

"I was confident after the lab trials that we could scale up to a full brew of each varietal. Both brews delivered the aroma and flavour that we had hoped for. I think they're on to something here - the hop flakes offer a number of advantages, and we are certainly keen to explore their use in other products in our range".

Hop Flake Hazy with Motueka™ and Hop Flake Hazy with Nelson Sauvin™ will be available in both 440ml cans and 888ml bottles at supermarkets and liquor stores nationwide, while a blended version showcasing both hop varieties will be on tap at all Sprig + Fern Taverns, as well as other venues across the country, for a limited time from Wednesday 14 May.

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