Intoxicating Hemp

The hemp beverage industry is less than two months out from a federal ban on nearly all products in the market, pending legislative action.
Despite the looming deadline, Hemp Beverage Alliance (HBA) president and CEO Christopher Lackner is feeling “optimistic.”

As distributors expand their portfolios beyond beer, they need to remember that “beer is the trump card,” incoming National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA) chair Luke Dahlheimer said Tuesday during his speech at the trade association’s Annual Convention in Orlando, Florida.

Tilray Brands credited BrewDog’s acquisition with juicing its business in the first quarter of its 2027 fiscal year.

Editor’s Note: The below news items were initially reported in the Brewbound Insider Newsletter October 5-7. Not an Insider? Become one today to get earlier access to what’s going on in the industry. Top Ten Liquors Promises to Keep Stocking THC Products Minnesota-based off-premise retailer Top Ten Liquors has pledged to continue selling THC products… Read more »

Relaxation and anxiety/stress release are the top reasons consumers say they’re drinking intoxicating hemp beverages, market research firms NIQ and MRI-Simmons, and alcohol alternatives database the Dry Atlas shared during a webinar Tuesday.

Intoxicating hemp brand Pharos named Stephane Cantin as its new CFO and COO.

Where most low-dose drinks come in at around 2.5 to 3 mg per container, Herb Light cuts that by more than half. But in the guise of a refreshing, session-friendly, non-alcoholic beer styled after classic American light pilsners, the concept is closer to “non-alcoholic-plus” than to a typical THC drink.

The hemp beverage industry is set to receive a one-month reprieve from a looming U.S. hemp ban, as Congress has voted to pass a continuing resolution pushing the deadline to December 11, sending the bill to the president’s desk.

If rapper Wiz Khalifa’s new THC-infused beverage Kush & Orange Juice connects with an audience anyway similar to the album that inspired it, expect this one to be a breakthrough release.

One of the ad industry’s most lauded firms is jumping into beverages with a low-dose THC drink modeled after classic American beer. Herb Light is billed as a “crushable super-low-dose light beer-styled brew” with just 1 mg THC per 12 oz. can. “Big taste, little high” is the tagline.

As it bolsters its core seasonal craft beer lineup with occasion-driven variety packs, 38-year-old Great Lakes Brewing Company (GLBC) also has several irons in the beyond-beer fire. Earlier this month, Great Lakes announced the launch of aSplash, a ready-to-drink (RTD) canned cocktail produced in collaboration with Columbus, Ohio-based Watershed Distillery, the Buckeye State’s largest craft spirits producer.

Check out news items initially reported in the Brewbound Insider Newsletter, including headlines from Asahi, Monster, Iron Hill and more.

Congress is getting more serious about finding a regulatory solution for the hemp beverage market, with two U.S. representatives filing a new bill today aimed at establishing a proper framework to allow brands to stay legal.

While beverage makers are in a race against time to preserve legal standing for intoxicating hemp products, a majority of state Attorneys General are urging Congress to stand firm on the upcoming November ban.