CBD Beer to Be Sold in the UK
According to recent news from Britain, a new beer containing CBD oil extracts will soon be available on the UK market. The new product, to be produced by Stockton Brewing Company based in the town of Stockton, County Durham, will be called Buffalo Soldier Hemp Ale. The brewers expect the beer to be available in limited quantities as early as the beginning of next month. Naturally, many beer and cannabis enthusiasts are eagerly awaiting the chance to try this new beverage.
“The team at the brewery was enthusiastic about the idea of creating England’s first legal cannabis beer. We’re proud to be the first company in the country to produce beer with added CBD extracts,” a company representative told the press. “The first batch of Buffalo Soldier Hemp Ale will appear in select UK stores at the start of April, and judging by public interest, it’s expected to sell out very quickly,” he added.
Non-Psychoactive Cannabis Beer
The brewers report that the CBD beer will be a light ale brewed from natural ingredients, with an alcohol content of 3.8%, in addition to the CBD compounds. Since the drink does not contain THC, it will not have the characteristic psychoactive effects of cannabis. On the other hand, the CBD in the beverage may slightly enhance the sedative effect of alcohol while reducing its negative side effects on the nervous system. It’s worth noting that since the beginning of the year, UK authorities have allowed limited sales of CBD oils, but the product remains scarce and often of questionable quality.
The retail price for a pint of the cannabis beer is expected to be around £3.50 (about $5 USD).
Named After a Reggae Icon
As Bob Marley fans may have guessed, the drink is named after the song “Buffalo Soldier,” which Marley recorded with The Wailers shortly before his death in 1981. The track was released on Marley’s final album, Confrontation, which came out in 1983. The song’s title refers to the nickname given to Black American soldiers who fought against slaveholders during the Civil War era.
Other Examples of Cannabis Beer
Although Buffalo Soldier will be the first legal cannabis beer in the UK, the idea of brewing beer with added CBD is not new. For example, last year, Coalition Brewing in Portland, Oregon, gained fame for producing Two Flowers IPA, which contains CBD oil extracts from industrial hemp. Coalition Brewing’s owner, Elan Walsky, believes that cannabis is as natural an ingredient for beer as malt.
“Adding cannabinoids to beer opened up a new market segment for us, with millions of consumers. I think there’s a close connection between craft beer and the legal cannabis industry, especially in the shared interest of growers and brewers in producing unique, organic products in small batches,” Walsky notes.
Two years ago, California’s Lagunitas Brewing Company became known for its Supercritical IPA, a beer with a distinct lemon flavor and hints of freshly cut grass, thanks to the addition of cannabis terpenes. Now a subsidiary of Heineken, Lagunitas plans to resume production of cannabis-infused beverages for the American market.
“We’re planning to bring back the Supercritical recipe and develop new types of cannabis beer. More and more regions in the US are opening up to the legal cannabis market,” says Karen Hamilton, PR director at Lagunitas. “These projects are still in the planning stage, but soon we’ll start releasing new products with CBD extracts.”
Buffalo Soldier Hemp Ale will go on sale at the beginning of April. Orders for the drink will be available at Oscar’s Gin Bar in Stockton in the first days of the month.