Spectrum is the new liquid hop designed to revolutionize Dry Hop. After more than 5 years of research and rigorous testing, it embodies the innovation of Barth Haas.
100% natural and made without solvents or additives, Spectrum is the ideal alternative to T90 pellets and whole cones.
Fully soluble, Spectrum eliminates oxidation risks, hop creep, beer loss, and makes cleaning easier.
Ideally used during secondary fermentation, it optimizes aromatic impact and simplifies Dry Hop. With its 8 available varieties (Citra, Cascade, Mosaic, Vic Secret, Galaxy, Azacca, Bru-1, and Eclipse), Spectrum establishes itself as the new benchmark for Dry Hop in modern brewing.
The Challenges of Dry Hop
Dry hopping is an essential technique for enriching the aromatic palette of beers. However, it presents notable challenges.
First, adding hops during fermentation incurs additional costs. A portion of the beer is absorbed by the solid plant matter, leading to a loss of sellable product. Furthermore, cleaning up the residue takes more time and requires specific hygiene products, which generates extra expenses.
Next, aroma transfer is not always optimal. For instance, with whole hop cones, the lupulin glands remain intact, slowing down the extraction of essential oils. Even when using pellets, which reduce particle size and improve extraction, a uniform transfer is not guaranteed. Additionally, the process remains sensitive to temperature and alcohol content.
Lastly, hops naturally vary depending on the year and growing conditions. These fluctuations affect the essential oil content and make it challenging to achieve a consistent aromatic profile. To ensure uniform quality from batch to batch, parameters must be continuously adjusted.
Spectrum: The Solution to Overcome Dry Hop Challenges
If the constraints of traditional dry hopping can negatively impact a brewery’s profitability, Spectrum emerges as an essential alternative.
Made exclusively from hops, Spectrum is a fully soluble product. Its unique formula optimally extracts the authentic flavors of the chosen variety, without relying on unnecessary additives. With Spectrum, you benefit from a drastic reduction in losses caused by absorption. Moreover, its liquid form accelerates aromatic extraction and significantly reduces the time spent in the fermenter.
And that’s not all…
The Concrete Benefits of Spectrum
Replacing T90 pellets with Spectrum offers a real advantage for your production. With a ratio of 1:5 to 1:8 (1 kg equals 5 to 8 kg of pellets), you optimize your dosage. A major benefit follows: you significantly reduce the required storage space.
Thanks to the absence of solid matter, Spectrum does not absorb liquid (as it integrates fully into it). This prevents the typical losses encountered with traditional methods.
Tank cleaning also becomes much easier. No particles stick to the walls, simplifying maintenance. Furthermore, the lack of solid matter enhances yeast harvesting and repitchability, allowing you to manage your production process more efficiently.
Finally, the manufacturing and use of Spectrum in brewing minimize contact with oxygen. The risk of oxidation is therefore greatly reduced.
Réduction drastique du risque de hop creep
Hop creep can occur during dry hopping. Enzymes in the hops convert non-fermentable sugars into fermentable sugars, triggering unexpected fermentation after the dry hop process.
This results in a drier beer, increased alcohol content, and potentially altered carbonation at bottling. This phenomenon disrupts the initial balance of flavors and aromas.
Without proper control, hop creep complicates the brewing process. Limiting it is essential to maintain the desired profile.
Spectrum does not contain enzymes that could restart fermentation. Depending on the percentage of hops replaced during dry hopping, Spectrum can completely eliminate hop creep.
Study on Hop Creep and Spectrum :
In this study, an internally brewed Pale Ale was used to analyze the impact of hop creep during dry hopping. A portion of the beer was kept without dry hopping to serve as a control sample. This allowed the measurement of natural fermentation alone, without the influence of hop enzymes. The other samples underwent various treatments to evaluate the effects of hop creep.
The beer was distributed into eight flasks equipped with airlocks. Each flask was dry-hopped with varying proportions of Citra® T90 pellets and Spectrum. (A 1:2 weight replacement ratio for Spectrum was applied to amplify the potential effects of hop creep.) The flasks were left to re-ferment at 23 °C for 7 days. Each sample was then analyzed using the AntonPaar Alcolyser.
The analyses showed that Spectrum does not exacerbate overattenuation due to hop creep. Although it slightly increased the apparent extract of the beers, its impact on alcohol content remained minimal.
Samples where T90 pellets were used revealed an increase in alcohol content proportional to the amount added. In contrast, the 100% Spectrum sample displayed a fermentation profile very close to that of the control beer. This confirms that Spectrum does not trigger unexpected fermentation.
The Spectrum Varieties Available at Rolling Beers
Beyond the classics Citra, Cascade, and Mosaic, you will also find Azacca and Bru-1.
And that’s not all, exciting new additions are coming to the catalog! Three Australian hops are making their debut: Galaxy, Eclipse, and Vic Secret.
The Spectrum offers another major advantage: it is completely independent of harvest years. A recipe created in 2025 will produce the same beer in 2028. This stability ensures a consistent aromatic profile, regardless of the harvest.
Necessary Adjustments
Adjustments may be necessary. While Spectrum delivers an aromatic profile true to its variety, it does not replicate 100% of the profile achieved with pellet-based dry hopping.
Barth Haas products derived from hops are designed to enhance the efficiency of the brewing process. As derivatives, they always exhibit slightly different aromatic profiles compared to those obtained with T90 pellets.
While preserving the essential character of the variety, it is therefore important to adjust your recipe if the goal is to perfectly match an existing aromatic profile.
Using Spectrum
At Rolling Beers, we offer two formats of Spectrum. The 20 g sachet is perfect for homebrewers, while the 200 g packaging is ideal for brewpubs and microbreweries.
For comparison, 1 kg of Spectrum is equivalent to 5–8 kg of T90 pellets. For the proposed formats, this corresponds to:
200 g: between 1 kg and 1.6 kg of pellets.
20 g: between 100 g and 160 g of pellets.
The use of 100% Spectrum in dry hopping is entirely feasible. However, for well-established recipes, Barth Haas recommends starting with tests. Adding a percentage of standard hops (between 20% and 50%) helps adjust dosages more effectively, following the ratio mentioned above.
Over the course of testing, you can gradually transition to a full 100% Spectrum usage.
Where, When, and How to Dose Spectrum ?
Spectrum is added directly to the beer, ideally during secondary fermentation, when the density is still at 1–2 degrees Plato from the final density. The addition can be done in your fermenter without specialized equipment.
We recommend pre-dispersing Spectrum in cold or warm deaerated water, or in wort, before adding it. The product should be mixed in a liquid volume equivalent to 5 to 10 times its weight. Vigorous stirring may be necessary to ensure complete dispersion.
Bart Haas Recommendations :
For the initial use of Spectrum or when replacing hopping rates higher than 8 g/L of pellets, we strongly recommend not replacing more than 80% of the pellet load with Spectrum. Maintain a replacement ratio of 1:5 to 1:8 and limit the usage to a maximum of 1 g/L of Spectrum.
It is possible to exceed these levels, but this should only be done with some experience working with Spectrum.
Please note, this product is specifically designed for dry hopping. Spectrum does not contain iso-alpha acids but does contain non-isomerized alpha acids. At high doses during late boil or in the whirlpool, these can enhance bitterness—particularly in hazy beers, where this bitterness may not be desired.
Using Spectrum at the Start of Fermentation
During testing, Barth Haas discovered that adding Spectrum during active fermentation could enhance the fruity aromas of dry hopping.
Sensory analyses revealed a distinctly different aromatic profile.
Some brewers feared it might negatively affect the yeast, particularly with repitching. However, no adverse effects were observed during the trials. The yeast performed exactly as it did before Spectrum’s introduction.
Conclusion to Draw from This Graph :
The earlier you use Spectrum in your brewing process, the higher the dosage needed and the more the fruity aromas will be emphasized. Conversely, if you add it later, a lower dosage will suffice, and the “green” notes of the hops will stand out more.
These elements allow you to freely explore Spectrum and experiment with its use based on your aromatic goals.
Testimonial:
“We observed a lower and more consistent loss rate in the beers where we tested it. I am very impressed with the aromatic profile that Spectrum offers. We used it for up to 50% of the dry hop in our pale ale PINTLE, which significantly reduced tank time due to a decrease in hop creep and a lower increase in VDK (Vicinal Diketones).” SOPHIE DE RONDE / Burnt Mill Brewery
