General

Canadian brewery plans to release alcohol-free marijuana beer

Glass of Province Brands beer [Credit: Province Brands]

Legal marijuana is coming later this summer, and lots of companies are seeing green, in more ways than one. Legal pot means will mean a lot of new opportunities to make cash, and plenty of organizations are trying to figure out how to make the most of this new sales opportunity.

One company looking to get in on the marijuana market is Province Brands, a startup brewery that claim they are pioneering technology that will allow them to brew beer entirely out of marijuana.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BhoPXRcB27U/?taken-by=provincebrands

This won’t just be your usual ale with a skunky aroma, nor will it resemble existing beers that incorporate marijuana but have no psychoactive effects. According to founder Michael “Dooma” Wendschuh, this will be a totally new type of beer that replaces the traditional brewing grains with marijuana, making for a nonalcoholic — yet still intoxicating — beverage.

Province has filed a patent for the beer, which, in addition to getting you high, will also be low-calorie, low-sugar, and, in most cases, gluten-free.

Province Brands describes itself as a “highly disruptive premium adult beverage company,” and the first disruption, according to Wenschuh, will be to the alcohol industry. “Other marijuana companies, if they want to get into this drinks space, all they have to do is get a bunch of flavours sent to them,” Wendschuh told VICE. “But that’s not craftsmanship. We’re focused on craftsmanship and we’re going to change the world with it.”

So what does marijuana beer taste like? There are few who’ve tried it, but those who have say it tastes like beer.

“I’ve tried their products twice, and I really like it,” said investor Lanny Lipson. “It tastes like beer, it has the right carbonation, and it’s just really pleasant to drink.”

The company is also working on creating a “decelerant,” that will help people sober up quickly — which will be helpful in situations like one that arose earlier this summer, when cottagers called the police after they got too high.

But will pot beer replace the real thing? We doubt it. Beer-drinkers are a pretty dedicated lot, and potheads have gotten by just fine with smoking and vaporizing so far. It’ll take more than a new trend to knock traditional lagers and ales out of the running.

But perhaps there is a place for cannabis in the beer market. After all, Canadians are always open to new beer options, and the prospect of beer without hangovers is pretty hard to pass up. Whether Province Brands brew flies high or has a bad trip remains to be seen.

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