Blue Moon To Roll Out Weed Infused Beer

Blue Moon wants consumers to drink more beer. Is THC the solution?

Blue Moon Brewmaster Keith Villa says his latest beer venture is a partnership with Ceria Beverages, a Colorado-based outfit developing a line of non-alcoholic, THC-infused craft beers.

“I’ve been seeing firsthand where consumers are drinking less and less beer” and opting instead for wine, spirits, sparkling water or even cannabis, said Villa, who recently retired from a 32-year brewing career with Miller-Coors “This is an alternative to regular, alcoholic craft beer,” says Villa.

Cannabis infused beverages are already on sale. Most are the lemonade or fruit drink type of things. They currently represent a pretty small percentage of the THC market share but are growing fast. During the first six months of 2017, THC beverage sales in Colorado, Oregon, and Washington totaled $13 million! That's a 26% increase. So it appears that drinking your THC is a thing. The question now, is beer the next thing?

It's illegal for alcoholic products to have marijuana or THC added to them. The solution is to brew a non-alcoholic beer then slip in the kicker. Brewmasters are working hard to find the right way to get it done. The first will be Blue Moon's entry here in Colorado later this year. Then it's targeting licensing arrangements in other adult-THC-use markets such as California, Massachusetts, Nevada and Oregon for 2019.

Credit: The Cannabist