What do you mean by dry hopping?

Our latest creation, the Playful Passion Fruit , is a kombucha that sharpens your senses. We have combined the delicious taste of tropical passion fruit with the art of dry hopping. What is that, I hear you ask?

Well, in the beer world, dry hopping is a term that is often used. And our brewer Joris has earned his stripes in that world. He worked for many years as a manager and beer sommelier at specialty beer café Gij&Ik, and before that at brewpub Paname Brewing Company in Paris. Gij&Ik has a sister company, Rabauw Craft Beer, so Joris has always been close to the brewing world. It was therefore not surprising that he decided to add a typical beer ingredient to our kombucha. The Playful Passion Fruit is a dry and fruity kombucha, perfect for a sunny day. Be surprised by the unexpected flavor combination and discover what dry hopping can do for a drink you thought you knew by now.

What is hops?

Hops are not just a simple herb, they are an important ingredient in the beer brewing process. It not only ensures a longer shelf life of the beer, but also adds taste and aroma. Hops grow like a climbing plant and can easily grow to a height of 7 meters. Hop cones grow on the plant, which you can use during brewing. A lot of hops are grown in Belgium, Germany, England and the United States, and the climate in the Netherlands is therefore also excellent for it.

Hops are bitter, right?

Hops do not necessarily have to be bitter. It depends on how you use it! If you don't heat hops, you get a lot of tasty aromas. But when you heat it up, it creates that bitter taste that beer is so famous for. Fortunately, we have a trick up our sleeve when brewing our kombucha: the dry hopping technique. We add hops at cold temperatures, so we only get the delicious aromas and no bitterness. This is how we ensure that our Playful Passion Fruit kombucha is full of the most exotic and delicious scents and flavors. A true taste explosion in your mouth!

There is no shortage of variety in the world of hops. Each type of hop has its own unique flavor profile, from citrus and pine to spicy, floral, earthy and even fruity notes of strawberry and mango. In the Playful Passion Fruit we always use passion fruit, but we mix it with different types of hops to create the ultimate taste sensations. This time we chose Cascade hops, which give us a citrusy and floral aroma. The perfect match with the fruity Mao Feng tea and passion fruit.

Hop farmer BrabantHop

How did we choose our hops? We started with a trip to BrabantHop in Wilbertoord, 20 minutes away from our brewery. Hop farmer Giel started his own hop cultivation a few years ago, because he, like us, finds it strange that so much is grown in our neighboring countries and almost nothing in the Netherlands. With Brabant hospitality, Giel gave us a tour and we went home with three different types of hops: Cascade, Centennial and Bramling Cross.

Once back at the brewery, brewer Joris went all out: 27 different kombuchas, each with a unique composition and ratio of hops and passion fruit. But it didn't end there, because of course there was extensive tasting afterwards. Sameen, Joris's parents, brother and great-nephew were all called in to help choose. Ultimately, the Cascade hop was chosen. The Centennial leaves too little room for the passion fruit for our taste, and the Brambling Cross has aromas that go less well with passion fruit.