What You Need to Know About Marijuana-Infused Beer Although marijuana-infused beer appears to be another publicity stunt that will eventually fade away to become a niche product, this time brewers are paying tens of millions of dollars -- sometimes hundreds of millions -- for the privilege. Legal weed is still a new phenomenon, and because it's not yet national it still has a mystique that makes pairing suds and buds a seemingly forbidden pleasure. There have been brewers that have been offering a happy mix from the beginning.In Colorado, where marijuana has been legal longest, Dad & Dude's Breweria has been successfully selling a cannabis-infused beer for years, and Oregon's Coalition Brewing has introduced several varieties of beer made with cannabidiol (CBD). Similarly, Heineken's Lagunitas introduced its SuperCritical limited edition ale made with terpenes, which is responsible for the cannabis plant's unique aroma and flavor, while Vermont's Long Trail Brewing made a limited run IPA-like beer made with cannabis compounds. Although these beers were popular when introduced and enjoy a cult-like following, it's only because of their newness and the heightened attention to legal weed that they got off the ground. Marijuana is now attracting the big guns of the business, like Anheuser-Busch, which paid $50 million to partner with Tilray; Constellation Brands, which initially bought a 9.9% stake in Canopy Growth early last year for $190 million and then added another $4 billion investment later in the year; and Molson Coors which is forming a joint venture with Hydropothecary inwhich the brewer will have the controlling interest as it pursues cannabis-infused beverages. But it's not as if you're going to get high while having a beer. The government doesn't allow the psychoactive compounds of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, to be mixed with alcohol, which is why CBD and terpenes are most often used (there are over 100 cannabinoids, or the chemical compounds secreted by cannabis flowers that are found in both cannabis and hemp plants). So if you're buying a marijuana-infused beer thinking you will feel the effects from both, you're likely going to be disappointed. The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax & Trade Bureau (TTB) has pretty strict standards about what products brewers and distillers can use in their alcoholic beverages and what the labels can say. Brewers have to submit lab analyses of their products stating whether they're using oils, seeds, or some other component of the plant; how much THC, if any, is detected; and submit a sample to be tested by the TTB. Also, no words, description, images, slang, etc. can be used "implying or referencing the presence of hemp, marijuana, any other controlled substance; or any psychoactive effects." |
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Brewing Monks Use Plant Filters Koningshoeven abbey is one of only 13 places in the world to brew Trappist beer, and its products have won over drinkers around the world. For all the commercial success, however, a nagging sense that money has triumphed over spirituality has prompted the monks to rethink their use of water after more than 130 years. The Cistercian monastery on the Dutch-Belgian border has announced it will be the first brewery in western Europe to construct a plant-based water filtration system that avoids the waste of seven litres of water for every litre of beer made. In a large greenhouse, 70 species, including ferns and other sub-tropical plants, sit above bins of waste water that flows through pipes from the brewery. The interaction of the micro- organisms on the plants’ roots and the bacteria in the water purifies it for reuse. The new system will purify around 450,000 litres every seven hours when fully operational without any need for human intervention. The abbey in the Dutch village of Berkel-Enschot, in Noord- Brabant, also produces 43% of its electricity from solar panels, and the monks even drive electric cars when they leave the monetary. . |
Pizza Hut Delivers Beer Pizza Hut announced that it will add beer delivery to nearly 300 restaurants across Florida, Iowa, Nebraska, North Carolina and Ohio, as well as additional locations across initial test markets, California and Arizona. Further, Pizza Hut aims to have beer delivery in place at 1,000 restaurants across new markets by this summer. Current beers available for the service include Blue Moon, Bud Light, Budweiser, Busch Light, Coors Light, Corona Extra, Kilt Lifter, Michelob Ultra, Miller Lite, Miller High Life, Shock Top and Stella Artois. Sorry, craft beer fans. Price point varies on availability and market, but generally range from $3 to $5 for a two-pack and $6 to $12 for a 6-pack. The first phase of the latest expansion will be in place by mid-January, well ahead of the February 3 Super Bowl LIII game in Atlanta. The timing is no accident – Pizza Hut took over as the official pizza sponsor of the NFL in February 2018 after Papa John’s seven-year reign. So you won't be seeing those commercials with Peyton Manning this year. Pizza Hut does not a a celebrity spokesperson. |