Brews and Buds: The drive to bring cannabis and beer to the thirsty masses

FOLLOW
THE GREEN BRICK ROAD

Maybe you’ve noticed the multitude of resinous IPAs either
being named or described as “dank,” an adjective most cannabis users are
familiar with, but one that is entirely new to the beer lexicon.

This increasing crossover between cannabis and beer is an
inevitable one; as the connection between the two goes beyond mere use and
worship of the herb. In fact, one of beer’s four main ingredients, hops, is a
not-so-distant cousin of the cannabis plant. Humulus Lupulus (hops) and
Cannabis sativa/indica (cannabis) are two genera in the family Cannabinaceae,
but differ in a few very important ways.

Not only do hops grow on vines and cannabis on bushes (the
hop cone and a cannabis bud are similar in shape, too), but hops have a
bittering quality and a preservation function that are necessary to balance out
the sweet malt and keep bacteria out of beer. If cannabis was to be heated as
hops are during the brewing process, the resulting beer would be skunky, grassy
and sickly sweet. If it’s added after the boil, during a dry-hopping-like
process, it can introduce bacteria and sour the beer.

Soaking the cannabis in water for a few hours beforehand
eliminates some of the foul-tasting ingredients, though in both cases, THC
wouldn’t make it into the final beer since it’s not a water-soluble compound.
THC is alcohol-soluble, but the beer would need to be at least 10 percent
alcohol by volume (ABV) for that to work.

INSPIRATION,
INNOVATION AND APPRECIATION

Lagunitas is a brewery that loves its cannabis. Of course
that’s not the only thing it loves (beer is biggie), but it’s safe to say that
the beers made by the 25-year-old Petaluma, California-based brewery more than
hint at an affinity for the green stuff. Lagunitas’ Marketing Director Ron
Lindenbusch shared why cannabis is such an accepted part of the brewery, “I
think there’s a culture of independence in the craft beer movement in general,
and so to be open about [cannabis use] just shows that independence. The type
of person that would want to be a small craft brewer is the type of person who
is open minded. They’re risk-takers. They’re not politically negative. They’re
positive people, generally, and everybody gets along. It’s a friendly culture
that’s developed since the ’80s, and even though a lot of brewery owners don’t
smoke and employees don’t smoke, they’re all still cool about it.” This relaxed
attitude towards cannabis is much more blatant in many of the brand’s unique
brews.

First, there’s Censored Ale, so-named because the Federal
Alcohol and Tobacco Board snubbed an attempt to approve its previous name, The
Kronik. Then, there’s Undercover Shutdown Ale, which takes its name from the
time the entire brewery was, well, shut down after federal agents discovered
customers and employees smoking cannabis on the brewery grounds.

Every year, Lagunitas celebrates April 20 with a beer called
Waldo’s Special Ale. The double IPA is a hoppy, bitter high-alcohol beer made
to commemorate cannabis’ high holy day, which takes its date (4/20) from the
code name of  “420.” The name Waldo’s
Special Ale derives its name from the so-called Waldo Crew, a group of people
from the ‘70s who have been reported to be the first to refer to cannabis as
“420.” Many other breweries, especially those in cannabis-liberal states,
profess similar affinities for the herb through their labeling and marketing.

In Colorado, a mini-chain of old school brewpubs (including
Mountain Sun and Southern Sun breweries in Boulder)
have long been brewing their Colorado Kind Ale, new kegs of which are often
tapped at 4:20p.m. In Seattle, Wash., Red Hook Ale Brewery released a
collaboration with Hilliard Brewing called Joint Effort that came with its own
custom bong-shaped tap handle.

WHERE
THERE IS A WILL, THERE IS A WAY

The secret to making cannabis-infused beer, then, is making
a THC tincture first—either with high-proof everclear or glycerine or honey—then
adding it to the beer after it’s been fermented out. The same process could be
used for cider, which is a sweeter drink to begin with.

Home-brewers have been experimenting for decades with
recipes based on this, but only in the last few years have those experiments
become legalized and published online.

Obviously, conflicts with federal law have made retail
versions of cannabis-infused alcohol nearly impossible to find, though some
dispensaries in Washington and Colorado have been seen selling cannabis honey
ales to patients.

More commonly seen than beer, however, is cannabis-infused
liquor, as its one of the easiest ways to make a potent cannabis liquid. This
common extraction method yields a liquid called “Green Dragon,” which normally
uses everclear or another high-proof spirit as its base. (There’s also “potka”
which utilizes vodka.) As speedier methods of extraction have been developed
(thanks, in part to a Popular
Science article on nitrous infusion), bartenders and mixologists around
the country have been pushing boundaries of the Green Dragon by making versions
with unlikely liquors like mezcal, cognac and gin. Available for friends-only
pours and never advertised, these elevated tinctures could be the future of
cannabis-infused booze.

Despite Lagunitas’ love of cannabis (and no doubt its
friends in the distilling industry), Lindenbusch says the brewery has never
tried to make a cannabis-infused beer of its own—since the process is
inherently problematic—a sentiment echoed by other craft beer brands that make
references to the herb.

Although there is no right way to enjoy cannabis and beer
simultaneously, it appears there are certain methods of preparation and
consumption that prove less problematic than others. Whether you’re interested
in an infused drink, or prefer to partake in the two activities at the same
time, but separately, it’s impossible to deny the kindred connection between
these two luxuries.