Hold My Beer: Dank Flavors in Beer

Is “dank” in the eye of the beer drinker? Learn about this misunderstood beer characteristic, why it’s trending, and how to brew beers with dank, pungent flavors and aromas.

Have you ever ordered a beer and been able to smell it before the bartender placed it before you? Has a sip of IPA ever transformed on your palate into an unexpected, pungent robustness? This, my friend, is what we call a dank beer.

While the world of pungent beer isn’t young by any means, the word dank wasn’t adopted into the beer and brewing lexicon until relatively recently (think early 2000s), and the term has undergone quite an evolution. At one point, it wasn’t considered a positive trait. Recently, however, it’s a prized quality among certain styles.

So, what exactly are dank flavors in beer? Is “dank” in the eye of the beer drinker? Read on and learn about this often misunderstood beer flavor and aroma, how brewers achieve it, and why it’s having a much-deserved resurgence.

The BrewGas Series is a collection of the world’s gassiest and skunkiest cannabis profiles — without the cannabis. Our botanically derived terpenes contain zero THC or CBD and are TTB-approved, ensuring compliance for brewers. Use “Natural Flavors” on your ingredient list for a clean, finished label.

What is “Dank” in Beer?

Sometimes, hops with resinous earthy and piney aromas are considered dank, while others associate dank with fuel-forward flavors and funky citrus aromas. Whatever the case, the foundation of the term is rooted in pungent aromas that seem to toe the line between desirable and undesirable.

It hasn’t always been the most positive descriptor in the beer world, either. Definitions from the 1980s associated it with the dampness of moldy basements. However, the rise of craft brewing combined with cannabis legalization created the right conditions for this pungency to transform into the alluring characteristic you may have enjoyed in a dank IPA. 

For decades, cannabis culture has lovingly used the term dank to describe pungent buds, and today we know cannasulfur compounds are responsible for the distinctly gassy or skunk-like scent found in some cultivars. These compounds are also found in hops, which isn’t all that surprising considering the plants are related. As legalization spread, the number of consumers who appreciated both cannabis and hops grew. This becomes important later.

As craft brewing took off in the U.S., brewers experimented with bigger, bolder flavors and aromas through dry-hopping. This newfound appreciation for nuanced hop flavors and aromas, along with the arrival of aroma hops like Citra®, led to an explosion of experimentation that opened the door for the dank revolution. 

Today, dank has become a positive term in the beer industry again as the national trend to legalize cannabis has only made it more apparent what consumers of both products have long known. These plants contain a wealth of deliciously complex flavors. 

Brewing Dank Flavors & Aromas With Hops, Yeast, and MORE

There are many ways to infuse dankness into your beer, the most obvious of which is to start with the right hop variety. If you want a hop with juicy fruit notes to contrast the pungency of dank, then you’ll want to check out southern hemisphere hop varieties like Nectaron®.

Nectaron® adds tropical flavors like passionfruit and pineapple, turns the volume up with notes of citrusy grapefruit, and then delivers base notes of subtle dank that’ll leave your palate thirsting for another sip. On the other hand, intense American hop varieties like Simcoe® balance dank pine-forward aromas with fruits like berries and passionfruit, while Strata® brings a robust dankness that is barely tamed by notes of tropical stone fruit.

Hop selection isn’t the only method for adding dank characteristics to a beer, though. The type of yeast used can impact the final flavor and aroma. For example, Food & Wine explains that Saccharomyces cerevisiae (ale yeast) can create “additional spicy, fruity, and earthy aromas and flavors,” while Brettanomyces “yields funky, barnyard aromas, as well as notes of tobacco, spice, and leather.”¹

There’s also a LOT to be said for the brewing method, and we’re not just talking about dry-hopping. You can select the “dankest” ingredients, but choices like temperature, pressure, and aeration can impact ester formation, phenols, and more. Ultimately, a knowledgeable brewer can artfully combine hops, yeast, and even malt in unique ways to create the pungent, dank flavor and aroma of their dreams. 

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 that are ideal for every style of beer.

How to Brew Beer With True-to-Type Dank Cannabis Flavors and Aromas? 

Another element to consider is whether to infuse beers with the authentic flavors and aromas of dank cannabis cultivars. Not only is this simply another tool for brewers to keep in their arsenal, but it opens the door for entirely new beer experiences.

The shared genetics of hops and cannabis create complementary and contrasting flavor and aroma opportunities. You’ll find juicy tropical aromatics, fuel-forward flavors, and even creamy dessert-like notes in various hop varieties and cannabis cultivars. 

Brewing with actual cannabis flower is an option, but legal hurdles often make it impractical. Fortunately, it’s simple for craft brewers to add water-soluble, TTB-approved BrewGas Series to their beers. 

These true-to-type, botanically-derived cannabis profiles easily infuse beer with all the complexities of cannabis flavor and aroma. They’re also flowable, they don’t stick to the tank, and they contain no THC or CBD. That means they won’t add any cannabinoids, and they won’t make your drinks psychoactive.

The best part? While they don’t contain cannabis, they still smell like you just opened a bag of the dankest cannabis flower. Want the creamy citrus notes of White RNTZ  in your Hazy IPA? Thirsty for the tart tropics of Grapefruit Kush? Now, you can easily add some of the gassiest, skunkiest flavors to your next beer with no added sugars, calories, and no workflow modifications.

This means that dank beers are just getting started! Brewers can easily experiment with dank cannabis and hop flavors to create completely new beer experiences. 

Brew In-Demand Dank Beers with Abstrax Flavor Solutions

We provide novel solutions for beverage manufacturers looking to streamline, innovate, and gain a competitive edge. With our knowledge, technology, and extensive resources, we’ve crafted our collections to make it even easier to craft the exact beverage your consumers are thirsty for.

The BrewGas Series is a collection of the world’s gassiest and skunkiest cannabis profiles — without the cannabis. Just the flavor and aroma of iconic cultivars without any extra work and with no legal headaches. Our Quantum Series reflects the hops that go into the process in a way no other hop extractions can. This suite of hop-derived, varietal-specific brewings solutions provides the finest, most aromatic hop notes on the market.

Have a completely different take on dank beer? We recognize that creating a successful, consumer-friendly product sometimes means formulating flavors that have never been tasted before.

Contact us today, and let’s make a novel beverage experience that redefines “dank beer” flavors.

1. Holl, J. (2024, May 17). A Guide to Beer Yeast Types and How They Shape the Flavor of Your Brew. Food & Wine.