5 Ways Terpenes Give Microbreweries a Competitive Advantage

From improving the cost of goods to inspiring innovation, discover five ways microbreweries stay competitive with Terpene Brewing Solutions.

Compared to macrobreweries, microbreweries produce a relatively small amount of beer. Don’t let that fool you, though. They’re the beating heart of the industry and are often at the center of brewing innovation. These brewers celebrate regional flavors and traditions and experiment with styles that can influence the entire industry. 

However, even with endless passion and community support, microbreweries still need to stay competitive. Whether managing costs, adapting to changing consumer tastes, or attempting to navigate the complicated world of hop supply and demand, these brewers have to do it all with a fraction of the resources larger breweries have.

While it may sound like a constant uphill battle, terpenes give microbreweries a much-needed competitive advantage. They provide an unprecedented level of efficiency, speed up recipe development and production timelines, provide access to limited-supply flavors and aromas, and so much more.

Read on and discover five reasons microbreweries are using Terpene Brewing Solutions to innovate, streamline, and stay competitive.

The Quantum Series is a suite of hop-derived, varietal-specific beverage solutions with the finest, most aromatic hop notes on the market that won't add sugar, calories, or mouthfeel. Just recognizable hop flavors and aromas perfect for a variety of beverages.

1 | Optimized Hop Extracts Give Microbreweries A Business Advantage

Between the cost of equipment, supplies, ingredients, keeping the lights on, and paying employees a living wage, microbreweries need all of the savings they can get… but not at the expense of beverage quality.

Fortunately, Optimized Hop Extracts (OHEs) provide essential cost savings while supporting the high-quality beverages microbreweries are known for. 

Here are just a few of the ways microbreweries gain significant business advantages with OHEs:

• OHEs help mitigate supply issues by providing consistent access to preferred hop flavors and aromas at a significantly lower cost than T90, whole hops, and other extracts.
• Instead of wasting storage space, watching hop quality diminish, and/or selling surplus hops at a loss, microbreweries can utilize toll processing to extend the life of unused hops while saving on storage space. Every 1 lb processed into Quantum gives breweries a dosing equivalent of 5 lbs. Now, that 1 lb of T90 that was just taking up space is worth the flavor and aroma of 5 lbs. 
• OHEs reduce labor requirements by an order of magnitude. That 1,000 lb order of T90 pellets requires shipping, unpacking, refrigerating, and using a total of twenty-two 44 lb boxes. The OHE equivalent is just 4 gallons. That’s 4 gallons that are minimally packaged in lightproof glass and aluminum bottles with no boxes, foil, or other junk to throw away.
• OHEs don’t require workflow modifications, they don’t soak up potential beer, and they don’t require refrigeration before opening. That means there’s no additional labor required to use them, no additional labor to clean gunk from the tank, and no additional labor required to haul them into cold storage before using them.

Plus, between our Omni Hop Profiles and Quantum Series, brewers can select the OHE collection that makes the most sense for their business and their beer.

2 | Quickly Pivot to Meet Changing Consumer Demands with OHEs

Even a microbrewery with extensive community ties and consistent patrons knows that consumer demand is fickle. Those thirsty customers who couldn’t get enough of your flagship beer for the first few years can suddenly lose interest. 

Whether it’s changing preferences or increased competition, being able to pivot and offer new flavors and styles can keep breweries alive. Now, when brewers learn about a potential pitfall or opportunity, Optimized Hop Extracts allow them to pivot quickly to meet consumer demand.

Are patrons thirsty for spicy, pine-forward flavors? Maybe they want something complex and floral? Instead of trying to snag Willamette or Mosaic® hops on the spot market, place an order for an OHE and start brewing the day it arrives. No extra labor, no workflow mods, and no headache. 

OHEs also give microbreweries a competitive edge by easily providing access to hop flavors and aromas that are in limited supply. 

Omni Hop Profiles are created using terpenes and other compounds from sustainable botanicals to formulate, replicate, and standardize the flavor and aroma of ANY hop. No seasonal flavor drift, supply inconsistencies, or worrying that climate change will wipe out your favorite hop. Just brew the best-tasting beers with the flavor and aroma of your preferred hop year after year.

3 | Microbreweries Can Access Limited-Supply Hop Flavors and Aromas

Brewers who’ve had to navigate the spot market know how difficult it can be to find certain hops during an industry shortage. Any shortages will impact the spot market first since these are already hops left over AFTER farmers have fulfilled contracts. So, any hop shortage (like the recent Centennial hop shortage) means those varieties might not be available on the spot market. 

For microbreweries relying on this market, it creates a volatile supply chain issue that can be nearly impossible to plan for. With Omni Hop Profiles, this is a non-issue. Omni Hop Profiles are a true living record of specific hop samples that can be recreated forever. 

First, these profiles are sourced from sustainable botanicals. With this as the foundation, we layer in terpenes and other compounds to formulate, replicate, and standardize the flavor and aroma of hops. That means things like seasonal flavor drift or industry shortages will never impact our ability to recreate these profiles.

In addition, microbrewers can access the flavor and aroma of hops that are in limited supply, such as Southern Hemisphere hops. These are some of the most exciting varieties right now, but since they take up such a tiny piece of the global hop trade, they’re tricky to get your hands on. 

With OHEs, microbreweries can easily brew with the flavors and aromas of Australian varieties like candy-like Eclipse® and the musky passionfruit of Vic Secret™ to New Zealand varieties like mojito-forward Motueka™ and sophisticated Nelson Sauvin®. 

4 | Easily Expand Product Portfolios to Include Flavorful NA Beverages

What about consumers who choose to reduce their alcohol consumption? While this may sound like the end of times for some brewers, there is significant opportunity for microbreweries with the initiative to meet this demand.

A growing number of consumers are prioritizing healthier options. A third of those surveyed are planning to choose healthier food and drinks, and 25% aim to moderate their alcohol consumption. Craft brewers can tap into this trend by offering lower-ABV or non-alcoholic options.

Navigating the US On Premise Consumer in 2025¹

CGA

Whether they choose to craft their own NA beer or formulate a hop water, microbreweries can quickly get these drinks into the hands of their customers with the use of Optimized Hop Extracts and Terpene Brewing Solutions. 

Hop water, in particular, offers many benefits for microbreweries. Compared to beer and NA beer, making hop water requires less time (just a few days), less equipment, and fewer resources. In addition to meeting the demand for NA beverages, patrons under the legal drinking age can purchase them, and they can attract new customers who aren’t interested in beer at all.

While beer is often seen as a late afternoon or evening beverage, hop waters can easily be consumed at any time of day. Even patrons who specifically show up for beer can pace themselves by drinking hop water between beers or end the night with hop water. Not only does this promote responsible consumption, but it also increases your average ticket size. For microbreweries, every sale counts.

Skyfarm is built with terpenes so you can brew with recognizable fruit flavors without adding sugar, calories, or mouthfeel. There are no “off flavors,” potpourri, or floral junk. Just high-amplitude TTB-approved fruit flavors perfect for beer, seltzers, ciders, and MORE.

5 | Microbreweries Can Efficiently Brew Innovative Flavors and Aromas

Experimenting with in-demand flavors and aromas may have been a labor of love in the past, but Terpene Brewing Solutions make flavor innovation fast, cost-effective, and delicious. For brewers looking to take advantage of new flavor trends, this is a significant advantage.

For example, some brewers experiment with aseptic fruit purees to add fruit flavors,  but these ingredients also add calories and sugar, they can influence acidity, flavors can be muted or “jam-like,” and they’re not cheap. On the other hand, Terpene Brewing Solutions like the Skyfarm Series provide big fruit flavors without the drawbacks of whole fruit, fruit purees, or traditional fruit extracts. 

Each TTB-approved blend is sugar-free, shelf-stable, and the flavor is ALWAYS consistent. They’re more potent than other fruit flavors and extracts, they have a 100% utilization rate with ZERO yield loss, they require no workflow mods, no messy clean up, no risk of refermentation, and more.

From vivid Blood Orange and Mango to difficult-to-brew flavors like Watermelon and Strawberry, brewers can now easily infuse beers, hop waters, ciders, and more with bold fruit flavors consumers crave.

Additionally, the BrewGas Series lets brewers experiment with the flavors and aromas of the world’s gassiest and skunkiest cannabis profiles… without the cannabis. These are TTB-approved, botanically derived profiles with zero THC or CBD. They’re legal worldwide, require no special handling, and give brewers access to the complex world of cannabis flavor and aroma.

Microbrewers have long been at the forefront of brewing innovation, and there’s no one more suited to experimenting with the unique flavor combinations of hops and cannabis. Plus, brewers don’t have to expand into the wide world of THC Drinks to get creative with these flavors and aromas (although it’s seriously worth considering).

Using these water-soluble terpene profiles, microbrewers can infuse the dank citrus of Sour Tangie into an orange-forward hazy wheat, add a heavy dose of King Louie XIII gas to an IPA, or even craft a non-alcoholic hop water with the berry sweetness of Blue Dream. 

Abstrax | Innovative Flavor Solutions for Microbreweries 

At Abstrax, we provide novel solutions for beverage manufacturers of all sizes looking to streamline, innovate, and gain a competitive edge. With our knowledge, technology, and extensive resources, we’ve crafted our collections to provide recognizable flavors and aromas that consumers love.

Between our Optimized Hop Extracts and Terpene Brewing Solutions, brewers can now endlessly combine flavors and aromas for innovative beverage experiences that will blow consumers away. 

Are you a microbrewery with questions about using our flavor solutions in your next formulation? Contact us for a free consultation, and let’s make your next beverage the best one yet.

1. Navigating the US On-Premise Consumer in 2025. CGA. (2025, February 20). https://cgastrategy.com/navigating-the-us-on-premise-consumer-in-2025/