Massachusetts regulators have harshed the mellow of an Everett-based brewery with hopes of becoming the first in the state to sell a beer infused with an extract made from marijuana.
Down the Road Beer Co. had sought to brew a beer infused with cannabinoid extract called cannabidiol, or CBD — a component of marijuana that’s said to induce a “body chill” without any of the psychoactive aspect of the drug.
Cannabinoid beers have been approved for sale in other states, such as Colorado, and breweries including Lagunitas Brewing Co., Long Trail Brewing Co and Coalition Brewing Co. all make them, according to Alex Weaver, marketing director for Down the Road.
Weaver said his company had hoped to do something new in the Bay State.
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“Down The Road Beer Co. has been focused on innovation since day one,” Weaver said. “Our founder and head brewer, Donovan Bailey, loves pushing the bounds of what craft can be beyond the ordinary or expected. In that vein of innovation, brewing the first CBD beer in Massachusetts made perfect sense for us.”
But in an advisory issued on March 23, the state’s Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission nixed that plan.
“Even though retail sales of cannabis are expected to become lawful starting July 1, 2018, it will remain unlawful to manufacture and/or sell alcoholic beverages containing any cannabinoid extracts, including tetrahydrocannabinol (“THC”) and cannabidiol (“CBD”), regardless of whether it is derived from the cannabis plant or industrial hemp,” states the ABCC ruling.
The ABCC contends that cannabinoid is still a Schedule 1 drug, and that infusing an alcoholic beverage with it would also violate the Food & Drug Administration’s Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.
Weaver said that hemp is similar to hops, and is used elsewhere to brew into beer in a similar way with similar techniques.
In the end, Down the Road still released the beer, called Goopmassta Session IPA — a bitter citrus and apricot IPA that features Citra and Amarillo hops — just without the cannabidiol.
“We’re disappointed the current laws haven’t caught up with our drive to innovate and continue to push the bounds of what craft beer can be,” Weaver said.
Down the Road still released the new Goopmassta Session IPA, a barely bitter citrus and apricot IPA that features a liberal use of Citra and Amarillo hops.
