Abstrax BrewGas Series: The Gateway to the Dankest of Beers

Abstrax’s BrewGas Series is a water-soluble, cannabis-inspired, TTB-approved, botanically derived flavoring product for craft beer, hard seltzers, and other craft beverages. It contains neither THC nor CBD, ensuring full compliance for alcoholic beverage makers.

“BrewGas is the most accurate, legal, TTB-approved cannabis flavor for the beverage market, anywhere,” Abstrax Brand Director Ross Hunsinger says. When asked what beverage he sees as best for the series, Hunsinger didn’t hesitate: “Beers. A lot of beer.”

The BrewGas series, which has eleven varieties, includes Blackberry Kush, Blue Dream, Gelato, Grapefruit Kush, King Louie XIII, OG Kush, Pineapple Express, Sour Tangie, Super Lemon Haze, Super Sour Diesel, and White RNTZ.

According to Abstrax Marketing Manager, Liz Holcomb, BrewGas comes in four sizes: 4oz, 8oz, 32oz, and gallon-sized containers.

Holcomb points out that the number of varieties likely will continue to grow, thanks to another company department focusing on cannabis.

Photography courtesy of Highland Park Brewery

The BrewGas Series, which dates back about five years, sets itself apart by its analytical capability. Hunsinger refers to this as the “secret sauce.”

“We discovered what makes cannabis smell really dank,” Holcomb says, referring to a study Abstrax released in 2021. “We discovered the compounds and are able to use them in our products, and no one else is able to do that.”

Holcomb adds, “That’s why they are so unique and dank and so similar to the cannabis plant.”

BrewGas is the most accurate, legal, TTB-approved cannabis flavor for the beverage market, anywhere,

Ross Hunsinger - Abstrax

Hunsinger says that the company “developed and patented, and kind of pioneered, this 3-D metabolite fingerprinting, which gives us the most robust snapshot of the compounds of importance in any given sample of material.”

According to Hunsinger, Abstrax’s technology can detect critical compounds often left out of formulations, such as minor sulfuric compounds that make up “the special sauce of cannabis and hops.”

Abstrax’s 3-D equipment takes a 2-D picture of a plant’s terpenes, depicted as spikes, and looks behind them to visualize the different levels of a plant’s compounds hiding behind them.

“It’s basically the difference between looking at the Manhattan skyline from the East River in New York, where you just see all the buildings, and you can see what is in the first dimension, what is facing you,” Hunsinger explains. “What our technology does is, it takes a drone and flies it over those buildings to the other side on First Avenue, and you can go down to the street level and see little pieces of trash and garbage cans and, you know, newspaper stands and stuff.”

Highland Park R&D Manager Tyler Thurman remembers getting some BrewGas samples from Abstrax in the early days.

Thurman used the Pineapple Express and King Louie varieties in a one-off keg of the brewery’s iconic West Coast pilsner, Timbo Pils.

“The Pineapple Express—which is my favorite—is so tropical and still weedy and dank,” he says. “And the King Louie was used for more of an underlying note because it’s just like weed.”

Thurman says that the beer was very cannabis driven but still drank like a West Coast pilsner. “It was way more integrated and worked way better than I thought.”

Humble Sea Co-Owner and Brewer Nick Pavlina also conducted benchtop trials of Abstrax’s early offerings.

“We used them [for] dosing water, then a lighter beer to find the ratios and attributes we like,” Pavlina says.

He used Pineapple Express to highlight juicy, hazy, fruit-forward beers and the King Louie strain—one of Humble Sea’s favorites—in more cannabis-driven products. They’ve also used Grapefruit Kush as a one-off for their popular Socks and Sandals brand to enhance the flavors of the hazy IPA.

Photography courtesy of Humble Sea Brewing Company

“Early on, we were vague in our descriptions because I wanted to keep it a secret,” Pavlina says. “We knew it was a matter of time before everyone had them because they are such a unique product that can’t mimic hops.”

Hunsinger remembers being blown away by Abstrax’s unique products from afar. While working for another terpene company, he saw what Abstrax had developed and knew they had something special.

“It became clear to me when I was working there that Abstrax had pulled away [from the competition],” says Hunsinger.

Abstrax Hops went public in 2023 on the strength of its robust offering of the BrewGas Series, as well as its Omni Hop Series.

The company’s patented science sets it apart from others doing similar work.

“What you experience from Abstrax products is not even comparable,” he says. “We are literally the only viable cannabis flavor solution in the world, currently.”

Number one for Hunsinger: “Brewers can access the zeitgeist of weed.”

“Far and away, this is what we hear people say they are most excited about,” Hunsinger says.

Thurman says that the R&D experience using BrewGas was so good that, years later, they created Turple Timbo using two BrewGas varieties, Pineapple Express and King Louie XIII.

“When we were canning it, it was insane,” Thurman recalls. “The entire block smelled like a dispensary.”

Hunsinger says a close-second benefit is that the BrewGas product is extremely accurate to the true strain. In fact, he received a text from Thurman saying that Highland Park Owner and Brewer Bob Kunz continually questioned whether BrewGas was actually botanically derived and not cannabis.

Photography courtesy of Highland Park Brewery

“That’s the best compliment we can get,” Hunsinger says. “The important part is that the aroma is over the top, but it still drinks like a well-made beer. It doesn’t linger in the flavor too much.”

To illustrate BrewGas’ potent aroma, Hunsinger recounts the story of an Ohio brewery that ordered some product. Unfortunately, the BrewGas bottle broke in transit.

When we were canning it, it was insane. The entire block smelled like a dispensary.

Tyler Thurman - Highland Park Brewery

“It was delivered to the brewery by UPS and the FBI,” Hunsinger says. “They made them open it in front of them because they did not believe that the box was not full of weed.”

Pavlina touts the flavor profile as one of the top benefits of BrewGas.

“You can’t get that from hops alone,” he says. “You can get sticky cannabis notes from hops, but you can’t get the flavor match BrewGas provides.”

Hunsinger says the third benefit of BrewGas is that it provides the supplies for brewers to create new masterpieces.

“We’re not the painter,” Hunsinger says. “We just sell pigments and colors for people to mix up into whatever suits the manifestation of their vision.”

To Hunsinger, what’s most important is that BrewGas taps into all these classes of compounds and flavors in a “way that has never existed before, period.”

Thurman is taking on the role of the painter. While they are satisfied with the BrewGas-infused version of Timbo Pils, he says he’s been dabbling in adding the product to other brands to “add a little depth.”

“It does a good job when you add an imperceivably small amount—a tenth of the amount—to bring out some dankness,” Thurman says. “I’m into it. I need to fine-tune it, but there is big potential.”

Hunsinger points out that brewers who use cryogenically frozen hops—think Cryo, Lupomax, CGX, etc.—lend a dank note that doesn’t really come through when using T-90 hop pellets.

“You are kinda getting a lot more of that material captured early on,” he says, noting that the addition of BrewGas to a beer with just T-90 pellets “really just danks it out.”

Thurman agrees, noting that with beers with BrewGas, “the aroma does not go away, which is awesome,” he says. “It absolutely will keep the beer staying fresher for way longer.”

Hunsinger says he has seen BrewGas used in various phases of the brewing process, including the whirlpool, knockout, and cool pool, in the hose just before transfer and, most commonly, in the brite tank. He says you lose some of the product’s potency when you throw it in hot but admits you cannot tell a brewer what they can or cannot do.

It just depends on what you’re trying to get out of it. But a half an ounce is a good starting point.

Liz Holcomb - Abstrax

“[Brewers who use it hot side] think it brings down the level of inclusion to where they like it,” Hunsinger says. “So whatever blows off the volatiles, however, it blows off the volatiles to their liking.”

Since BrewGas is a very robust product, a little goes a long way. Holcomb notes that Abstrax has continued to tweak the recommended dosage rate as they learn more about the product.

“We recommend a half ounce to three ounces per barrel,” Holcomb says. “It just depends on what you’re trying to get out of it. But a half an ounce is a good starting point.”

Pavlina says Humble Sea adds BrewGas into the brite tank during transfer to get it nice and mixed in. As for the dosage, they are a tad higher than the starting point recommended by Abstrax.

“Generally, we’re adding a little less than an ounce per barrel; we use an eight-ounce bottle in a ten-barrel batch,” Pavlina says, noting it’s best used in classic dank, crispy West Coast IPAs or double IPAs. “But that ratio depends on the beer, gravity, and what else is in there.”

Pavlina adds, “We’re not approaching this for efficiency or yield. We’re looking for a wow factor and an added top note.”

Thurman says using BrewGas is tricky because it is so potent.

“I add it to some beer and use that as a dilution,” Thurman says. “I make a small amount and pull from that into another beer, and go on sensory to figure out what level I want.”

Thurman says the dosage could change depending on the beer style, but they stick to one ratio, whether for its West Coast pilsner or West Coast IPA.

“We go with fourteen grams per barrel of each variety in Turple Timbo,” he says. “I’ve used BrewGas in our West Coast IPA and used the same dosage.”

Thurman adds, “Fourteen grams per barrel might be even too much, but for impact, it was pretty fun. Definitely benchtop trial it, though. You could use less and still know it’s in there.”

According to Hunsinger, Abstrax is already strides ahead of the field with its BrewGas product. As competitors begin to close the gap, Abstrax will make improvements to distance itself from the pack.

“BrewGas is going to continue to power the brands seeking to lean into the zeitgeist that is the cannabis and cannabis-adjacent markets,” Hunsinger says. “Anyone who is seeking accuracy, amplitude, and accessibility to the flavor—and aroma of cannabis without THC—will find their way to BrewGas.”

For more information about Abstrax and its BrewGas products, visit www.abstraxhops.com or reach out directly to the Irvine, California-based company at (562) 294-5805 or [email protected].