Coalition Brewing Co. - CBD-Infused Two Flowers IPA
Outbound Brewing - CBD-Infused Outbound Trio
Hop & Hemp Brew Co- CBD-Infused Easy Times IPA
As Homer Simpson is known to cheer, “To alcohol! The cause of—and solution to—all of life’s problems.” The bliss-bust roller coaster is all too familiar to any beer drinker. Rinse. Wash. Repeat. Well, that happy hour just got happier (hemp-ier?) and your hangover a little less sharp.
Enter cannabis beer. A new class of brews are being infused with CBD (and THC!). Note: these cannabis brews are “infused” with hemp oil, unlike hemp beer, which incorporates cannabis flower in the actual brewing process for flavor.
Here, we scoured the web, read reviews, and interviewed experts to pick some infused brews that hop heads may want to give a swig. Pick your antidote and unwind.
The Best CBD-Infused Beer
1Coalition Brewing Co. – CBD-Infused Two Flowers IPA
The West Coast is the best coast. Oregon makes a case for it with this crisp, bitter, refreshing West Coast-style India Pale Ale infused with ABV and calming CBD—double bonus.
CBD-infused
6% ABV
0 THC
60 IBU
Brewed in Oregon
- BrandCoalition Brewing Company
- CBD Content5mg CBD per pint
2Hop & Hemp Brew Co- CBD-Infused Easy Times IPA
Only available in England (sorry!), this deep golden, fruity CBD-infused low-ABV brew is worth crossing the pond for.
Aromas of grapefruit, pineapple, and lemonade
Lemon & biscuit flavors
Hops: Citra, cascade, mosaic
°0% THC, °0% ABV
A classic IPA that’s big on flavor, without the alcohol
- BrandHop & Hemp Brewery
- CBD Content8mg CBD per 330ml serve
3Outbound Brewing – CBD-Infused Outbound Trio
Take the edge off with Outbound’s trio of relaxation-forward brews, which come in traditional nonalcoholic options, as well as CBD- and THC-infused varieties—each available in the brewer’s three flavor profiles: Blood Orange Haze, Pale Haze, Grapefruit Haze.
Functional brews keep you restored and hydrated
Crafted to promote enhanced muscle recovery, cellular hydration, and whole-body maintenance
Fights inflammation with electrolytes and curcumin
>0.5% ABV
Option for CBD- or THC-infused with broad-spectrum hemp extract so you unwind with absolutely zero hangover—and mad chill
- BrandOutbound Brewing
- CBD Content20 mg broad-spectrum hemp
4Enough Said – CBD-Infused IPA
“Ich bin Deutsch,” says this inspired work of refreshing liquid art that’s beloved around the globe and “faster than a hotshot TV detective with only 2 minutes left.” So, yeah, enough said. OK, not really, because the Two Roots lines has all palates covered.
Hops fans will want to try the streetwise IPA, while hefe heads should go for the Tropical Infamy or Shadow Monk. Or prolong summer with Grapefruit Fight, Mango Dango (these come in 5 & 10mg THC options), or your high with 10mg THC select Straight Dank.
Fast-acting THC
0.5% ABV
70 calories
German-inspired golden
Made with only Pilsner Malt and Hallertau Hops
- BrandTwo Roots
- CBD Content5mg for Enough Said variety
5High Style Brewing – Pale Haze
This aptly named Pale Haze out of San Diego comes infused with 10mg of THC, with other flavor profiles on offer: Blood Orange Haze and Grapefruit Haze
Handcrafted with high-quality fast-acting THC and proprietary terpene blend
>0.5% ABV
Inspired by a classic pale ale recipe
Smooth finish, crisp effervescence, and an uplifting high—hangover-free
Brewed in California
- Brand High Style Brewing Co.
- THC Content10 mg
CBD-Infused Beers: Botanical Cousins
Genetically related, cannabis and hops both are members of the Cannabaceae family and share medicinal properties. Both contain terpenes (aromatic and flavor compounds) and grow in a variety of diverse strains. Hops blossoms even kinda look like the cannabis flower.
These similarities make infusing beer with CBD the happiest thing to hit the hops market, since, well, hops. In fact, per Technavio's latest market research report, as reported by BusinessWire: “The global cannabis-based alcoholic beverages market is poised to grow by USD $155.28 million during 2020-2024, progressing at a CAGR of almost 19% during the forecast period.”
But the tradecraft is the real trick. Potrepreneurs clearly paid attention in chemistry, adapting emulsification techniques from the mainstream beverage industry in order to suspend oil (hemp) in water. The cannabis concentrate is mixed with emulsifier chemicals in order to reduce the extracted hemp oils into tiny droplets that will mix into the liquid (in this case beer, but likewise applies to that CBD coffee, tea, sports drink, water, etc.). Cannabis oil alone is hydrophobic, meaning it will not dissolve into water without manufacturing wizardry to make it hydrophilic.
Is CBD-Infused Beer Legal?
And now to the ABV (alcohol by volume). Real talk: The laws on cannabis-infused brews are complex. Hemp is legal, and thus CBD-infused beer is legal in many states and countries around the world. But, a true high-ABV + CBD/THC blend remains illegal in most states. In short, combining THC with alcohol is verboten (though, clearly not in Oregon). These anxiety-curing elixirs are happy, hoppy concoctions indeed.
Beyond alcoholic brews, you can still choose from a wide variety of non-psychoactive, CBD-infused beverages.
