Now that Minnesota’s given the OK to edibles and drinks with small amounts of THC — and made it clear that CBD is legal in food and beverages — breweries in the state are making plans to deliver.
Minneapolis Cider Company hopes to be the first release a THC drink, according to Bring Me the News. A nonalcoholic cider mixed with 3 milligrams THC, it’ll be called “Trail Magic” and is meant to be roughly equivalent to a hard cider with 5 percent alcohol content.
“THC is an alternative to alcohol that gives consumers another choice of how to relax, unwind, and enjoy themselves with friends,” MCC co-founder Jason Dayton told Bring Me the News.
Duluth-based Bent Paddle Brewing is prepping two new releases, reports the Duluth News Tribune.
First, it’s bringing its CBD seltzer back to the taproom. A variety of CBD brews hit the market in 2019, and Bent Paddle offered a CBD seltzer until last year. But until now, Minnesota’s laws haven’t been clear about whether CBD was allowed in food and drink, leaving state agencies and retailers uneasy.
"It is a movement and something people are looking for so we're excited to bring it back," Bent Paddle’s director of taproom and retail operations, Pepin Young, told the Duluth News Tribune. "We have a true belief in CBD and what it can do for people who are using it. We see it as an alternative for those wanting an alternative to alcohol. We're also seeing a trend that others are looking for something different."
The brewery’s also planning to debut a new seltzer with a blend of THC and CBD. A 12-ounce can will contain 2 mg THC and 25 mg CBD, both locally sourced.
And Minneapolis-based Indeed Brewing announced earlier this month that it’s working on a nonalcoholic THC seltzer with 2 mg THC and 2 mg CBD, reports the Star Tribune. It’ll be called “Two Good.”
"We see more and more customers drinking less alcohol who are interested in alternative experiences," said Indeed CEO Tom Whisenand told the Star Tribune. "We're excited to have another offering.”
Like beer, wine and hard seltzers, many people won’t notice the effect of a single drink with 2 to 3 mg of THC. But after two or three, the effects on mind and body would be perceptible to most.
Both Indeed and Bent Paddle will source their water-soluble cannabinoids from a Minnesota processing company, Superior Molecular, which in turn gets its hemp from Minnesota hemp farms.
More to come? Bob Galligan, director of government and industry relations for the Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild, confirmed that there’s a lot of interest in THC within the brewing community.
“We have members who are super curious as to the regulations and the ability to do THC seltzers," Galligan told the Star Tribune. "I know there are some who have started or will start producing them, and right now it's up to each business owner as we wade into these waters.”
