Lagunitas Brewing recently unveiled a new IPA with an interesting twist: cannabis flavors.
Called Supercritical, the beer is infused with marijuana terpenes — the aromatic compounds that give cannabis its distinctive flavor.
Infusing cannabis oils and hemp seeds into beer is a rising trend in the industry and there are already a handful of other varieties on the market.
Only downside? Drinkers won’t get an extra buzz from any of the brews, because none of them contain THC, the psychedelic chemical in marijuana. (The companies could in fact lose their federal license if they included THC with the beer).
Yet, many attest that the flavors are well suited together. In fact, hops and marijuana are part of the same family of flowering plants.
And since marijuana has become legal in more states, it has made its way into a widening range of products — from bath salts and toothpicks to coffee and BBQ sauce.
Lagunitas, which is owned by Heineken, is only planning a limited five-week release of its bud-flavored brew, and it will only be available in the company’s home state of California.
But considering how “terpenes” is becoming in the new buzzword in the beer world, there will likely be plenty of new marijuana-flavored brews to try.
