Before Fort George Brewery’s bubbly hop water hit the canning line in January, a fruity follow-up to LüP was already in the works.
“We were always going to do a fruited version,” says marketing director Brian Bovenizer.
This time, there was no internal debate over the name. It was a no-brainer.
FRüT LüP.
For one thing, it rhymes. For another, it’s a winking play on Froot Loops, the iconic children’s cereal introduced by Kellogg’s in 1963.
Starting Aug. 31, FRüT LüP will be available in 12-ounce cans at Fort George and select watering holes and grocery stores, including the Astoria Co-op.
The first of many fruit flavors to come is “yuzu,” a bright yellow citrus fruit that grows wild in China and Tibet. It looks like a lemon but has a distinct flavor and complex aroma.
The brewery describes yuzu as a combination of “tangy lemon” and “sweet floral orange.”
By using a fruit extract in the brewing process, the brewery was able to keep the beverage sugar-free, Bovenizer says.
Hop water, which is essentially carbonated water infused with select hops, has no calories, carbs or alcohol.
LüP, the name, was intended to play off lupulin, the active ingredient in hops, with mascot Loopy aiding in the pronunciation by drawing loops in his hopmobile on the label.
The January launch was low-key, with Fort George not really knowing what to expect from their first mass-produced NA beverage.
Turns out people like the thirst-quenching stuff, although the brewery is so far resisting sales quotas and such. The product is still in its introductory stage – offered free to employees and given away at festivals.
“We’re just going to kind of roll with it,” Bovenizer says. “See what happens. … The best way to market this is to get people to taste it.”
There’s no timeline for future fruit-flavored releases. They’ll be treated like seasonal beers – ready when they’re ready.
Other Oregon breweries have been producing hop water for several years, including Pelican Brewing further down the coast. Some offer fruit flavors as well.
But do they have a name that sounds like a breakfast cereal?
Certainly not.
