There are a ton of different hop extract products; the regular non-isomerized, then pre-isomerized hop extract that doesn't even need to be boiled, and then modified hop extract products like "tetra hop" that try to prevent light-struck skunking reactions.
They're definitely cheaper and less crafty and have more and more chemicals involved the further they get processed.
Some of the SUPER hoppy double and tripel IPAs use them because they can result in more bitterness getting into the beer vs. use whole hops or pellets. There's also a huge, HUGE amount of waste when you use that much hops so saving the actual hops for the aroma and dry hopping is actually a pretty good way to go.
The mega breweries use it because the extract stores better (which also means it gives them insulation from price variances from year to year), it's cheaper when losses and energy are calculated in (a long boil isn't required to isomerize the hops and specialized equipment gets rid of DMS faster so they can have shorter boils), and they can always ensure they get the same IBUs from batch to batch. (Way harder with real hops.)
Hell, even whole hops in Germany are often dried with sulfur if you're trying to steer clear of chemicals... (You didn't think they stayed that bright green color just because they were so "fresh", did you? -Yes you did; good! That's what they wanted you to think!)
There's also commercial extract hop oil options that are cheaper and that some of the big German breweries use in place of aroma hops; they are often VERY one dimensional with the process focusing on particular hop oils instead of the whole spectrum of oils normally in pellets or cones.
The Belgians AND the English AND fizzy yellow American light lagers have a tradition of using sugar. Sugar is NOT just to make the beer cheaper in brewing; it's used to help end at a lower finishing gravity and an "Dryer" beer and it's also used to add flavor, especially in the Belgian tradition with various cooked and carmelized sugars. A Belgian double, Tripel and the various strong dark and light Belgian beers couldn't exist without the use of sugar; they would be cloyingly sweet.
(So I mostly agree that staying away from extract is a generally good practice, staying away from extracted hop oil always is, and sugar is just another tool in the toolbox.)
Adam
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