THE AMAZING BEER “TEA BAG”

FORGET ABOUT turning water into wine; there’s a company out there that believes it can turn ordinary mainstream lager into craft beer. Hop Theory has launched ‘beer enhancing sachets’, a tea-bag style product that drinkers can swirl into their cheap pints, apparently transforming them into a hoppy, delicate brew. The bags contain a mixture of cascade hops (for tanginess), orange peel (adds citrus to the mix) and coriander seeds (gives the beer sweetness and a top note of lemon). It takes the ingredients a maximum of three minutes to work their magic, and each bag can be used four times. Aside from helping save on money, Hop Theory says the bags allow drinkers to limit their calorie intake, as standard lager is usually much less calorific than craft brews. Each infusion adds only five extra calories to a pint. The Maryland-based company set up a Kickstarter page in a bid to raise enough money to put the first infusion, called Relativity, into production. “I wanted to set out to make better beers and bring brewing to the bar,” said Bobby Gatusso, who founded the company in 2O13 while studying for a biology degree. “The craft beer industry had become my obsession, so I sought a career in microbrewing that would be different than the competition. Craft beer excels in taste but it’s expensive. Light beer is cost effective and low in calories but lacks flavor.” Hop Theory say they will produce another four flavors – raspberry, pumpkin, double IPA and peach – depending on the amount of money they raise. To hit its goal, the project needed to raise $25,OOO which it handily surpassed, reaching $3O,978 by it May 9 deadline.