Brewers shouldn’t be afraid to try something new. These tools aren’t here to replace tradition— they’re here to help you explore it in new ways, explains Charlie Gorham from Charles Faram.
If you have been following our news you’ll know that we’re working with Abstrax, a California- based flavour and aroma company, equipping brewers with tools to do more with less—less hop matter, less variability, and less waste. All without compromising on flavour or authenticity. They’ve even unleashed some unexpected sensory profiles.
Founded during the wave of cannabis legalisation in California, Abstrax didn’t set out to simply make THC products. Instead, its founders were captivated by the untapped potential of the intricate web of compounds responsible for the plant’s scent and flavour.
With few resources or existing extraction technologies available, the company had to build its expertise from the ground up. Abstrax’s national sales manager Craig Thomas said that they became the authority in cannabis aromatics and that it had started to snowball.
They looked at other applications, and wondered what other solutions were out there – what else smells really good? What can we do with these aromas? And to that end, they have now also become the supplier for a number of different industries, too.
He said: “With the brewing industry in particular, we’re talking about water soluble flavours that go into beer, and really the one stop shop for creative expression, for efficiencies, for new economies of scale, and for finding different ways of making beer that resonate with people – and frankly it just makes sense.”
From that unconventional origin story came a suite of high-impact products now making waves in brewing, including the Quantum series of hop-derived, varietal-specific solutions, Skyfarm fruit-forward flavour top notes, and the BrewGas line, derived from cannabis terpene profiles.
Abstrax’s Skyfarm line has gained traction, particularly among breweries developing fruit- forward IPAs, smoothie sours, or low-ABV offerings where fresh fruit additions may not be viable due to cost, perishability, or also due to regulatory issues.
For award-winning head brewer Julian Shrago of Beachwood Brewing, the spark came not from a sales pitch, but from a pint of beer. Shrago spent over a decade as an aerospace engineer before pivoting to brewing and approaches his craft with a scientist’s curiosity.
He said that it was when he had a beer from Russian River Brewing in Northern California that he saw the potential of the Quantum Brite product made from selected hop varietals.
The beer was made with Russian River’s batch selected Nectaron hops. “I was like, okay, this is it. I immediately called Abstrax, and I said, let’s get this queued up with our select varietals right now.
Late last year, we started making some permanent changes in both of our flagship beers, and that also led to us using Abstrax, Quantum, BrewGas, and Skyfarm products in other beers that we were doing.
It really helped to dial in new flavour profiles or achieve traditional flavour profiles with less hop matter in the beer. It’s been something that’s worked out great. It is absolutely better brewing through science.”
Shrago also said that he understands people’s apprehension. “I think anytime you take something like brewing, which is seen as a very traditional, old-fashioned process and you introduce something that is very scientifically driven, there are people who might be like, well, hold on
a second.
This isn’t how people make beer. However, it is absolutely a way to make things more consistent, perhaps make things better. It’s also a way to create new flavour and aroma profiles, and variety of beer that it has never been imagined before. I see it only opening new doors.”
“The UK is steeped in many, many centuries of brewing tradition. I think American consumers are used to new and ever evolving products. The UK has a slightly different consumer base, but I don’t see any reason why these products can’t be used to create traditional beers. The benchmark for us with our flagship beers was, are the consumers going to notice the difference?
Nobody said anything and we did this months ago. I think a lot of the breweries here in the UK could fold these products in seamlessly, and the consumer would not know. And I think that’s, the true test of how successful you are”.
Luckily for us Abstrax don’t aim to replace hops, but rather to amplify and stabilise the flavours that brewers already love. For breweries dealing with annual hop lot variability, Abstrax offers the ability to lock in a specific crop’s aromatic fingerprint and also to replicate it across future batches.
The claim is that if you get a standout lot of Mosaic or Nectaron, Abstrax can capture that exact profile through the Quantum technology and deliver it as a consistent input year-round, it’s like freeze-framing your best hops.
As hop prices fluctuate and consumer palates evolve, there’s a degree of flexibility and control that would have been unthinkable even five years ago. This is not just a perk, but a necessity in an industry where raw material quality and price volatility are constant concerns.
Shrago explained that: “Margins are getting squeezed from every angle. If you can improve yield, reduce costs, and maintain quality, you have to do it,”
Brewers shouldn’t be afraid to try something new. These tools aren’t here to replace tradition— they’re here to help you explore it in new ways. Whether you’re brewing on a one-barrel system or a fifty, Faram’s and Abstrax want to be part of that creative process for brewers of every size.
Beachwood Brewing is an independent, award-winning brewery crafting an innovative lineup of house beers, including distinctive West Coast-style IPAs, seasonal favorites, and limited releases. They started making beer at our brewpub in Downtown Long Beach in 2011. Fast forward to today, and they haven’t stopped moving, pushing, or progressing.
Their goal is for Beachwood Brewing to be a place where you can discover an endless mix of intriguing flavours and experience truly delicious hand- crafted beer. Their team of brewers are continuously working to tweak and improve their recipes, searching for fresh products to brew with along with new techniques to master, drawing inspiration from all over the world.
