Brewing with Cannabis: Using THC and CBD in Beer

by Keith Villa

Overview

Brewing with Cannabis introduces the convergence of marijuana and brewing in the modern craft beer movement. Explore the varied history of how the cannabis plant became federally illegal and dive into both historic and current laws on decriminalization and legalization of cannabis in the U.S. Learn about the agriculture and biology of cannabis, unique characteristics of the plant, and the similarities between cannabis and hop plants. Find out all that is needed to successfully grow cannabis plants in the comfort of your own home (where state legal).

Examine the active components of cannabis and the chemistry of how they interact with beer. Discover how to de-carboxylate THC-A into the fully psychoactive form of THC and learn methods of adding cannabis and CBD to non-alcoholic beer and homebrew for different effects. Delve into how and why the plant produces compounds such as cannabinoids and terpenes, how they function, and how to incorporate them into beer recipes.

Both homebrewers and professional brewers will be inspired by a wide-range of extract-based and all-grain recipes they can adopt or use as guidance when creating non-alcoholic beer or homebrew. Designed as a practical guide to use in brewing, the final chapter will inspire readers on how the discovery of new cannabinoids and terpenes may be used in the future. This book will be especially useful to brewers seeking information on the responsible and state legal of use of cannabis in brewing.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781938469695
Publisher:	Brewers Publications
Publication date:	08/01/2021
Pages:	216
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.80(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Keith Villa, PhD, is brewmaster and co-founder of Colorado-based CERIA Brewing Company, a trailblazer in the rapidly growing market of non-alcoholic, cannabis-infused beers. After earning his PhD in brewing from the University of Brussels in Belgium, an honor only a handful of brewers have achieved, Keith returned to the states with the idea of crafting beers inspired by Belgian styles, but with a twist. He then began his 32-year career as founder and head brewmaster at Blue Moon Brewing Company, an operating unit of MillerCoors. Since then, this beer doctor has gone on to brew several award-winning beers and continues to set new standards and push the boundaries of flavor, styles, and ingredients. Keith also is co-founder and head brewer of family business Donavon Brewing Company based in Arvada, Colorado. When Keith isn't brewing, you can find him riding motorcycles or cruising with his wife Jodi in their classic cars.

Table of Contents

Note from the Publisher xi

Acknowledgments xv

Introduction 1

1 Marijuana Laws in the United States: A Brief History 5

The Crusade against Marijuana 5

Making Marijuana Legal 10

Decriminalization of Marijuana in the US 11

Individual State Legalization 12

Agriculture Improvement Act 14

Current Status of Marijuana in the Law 14

Cannabis and Beer: Learning from the Past 17

2 Plant Biology 21

Cannabis Taxonomy 21

Structure and Growth: Humulus versus Cannabis 23

Humulus (Hops) 24

Cannabis 25

Flowers of Humulus and Cannabis 26

Hop Cones 26

Cannabis Buds 28

Evaluating Cones and Buds 30

3 Agronomy 33

Life Stages of Cannabis 34

Germination Stage 35

Seedling Stage 36

Vegetative Stage 36

Flowering Stage 38

Growing Conditions 39

Nutritional Requirements 39

Soil Requirements 40

Growing Containers 40

Light Requirements 40

Temperature and Humidity 41

Pests 42

Pruning and Harvesting 45

When to Prune 45

Harvest Time 46

Curing 48

Evaluation for Use in Brewing 49

4 Techniques for Using Cannabinoids in Brewing 51

Using CBD in Beverages 54

Emulsification of CBD 55

Water-Compatible CBD 56

Why include CBD in Beer? 58

Labeling and Packaging 59

Labeling Challenges 59

Packaging Challenges 60

Further Beading 61

5 Cannabinoid and Terpenoid Effects 63

Cannabinoids 64

Terpenes and Terpenoids 67

Entourage Effect 69

Toxicity and Adverse Effects 70

6 The Current Legal Status of Cannabis in the US 75

Cannabis in Medicines, Foods/Beverages, and Supplements 76

State Regulations 79

Possession and Use of Marijuana 79

Growing Cannabis 83

Strange Cannabis Laws 84

Final Thoughts 84

7 Regulatory Compliance 87

Recreational Marijuana Labeling Regulations 88

Required and Prohibited Language 89

Warning Labels 92

Serving Size 94

Federal Trademarks 95

Recreational Marijuana Physical Packaging Regulations 96

Sales Tactics 98

Social Media Promotion 99

8 Methods of Making Non-Alcoholic Craft Beer 103

Biological Methods 105

Arrested Fermentation 105

Specialty Yeasts 106

Physical Methods 107

Membrane Methods 107

Thermal Methods 108

Removing Alcohol from Homebrew Beer 109

9 Cannabis Beer Recipes 113

Processed Marijuana in Brewing 113

Cannabinoid Decarboxylation 113

Estimating THC when Adding Marijuana to Beer 114

Shake and Trim 115

Choosing How to Add Marijuana 116

How to Make a Cannabis Tincture 118

Hot Side Addition 118

Cold Side Addition 119

Notes on the Recipes 120

Recipes from Marijuana Beer 121

Processing Marijuana Shake for Brewing 122

Simple Head Ale 123

Hop Head Beer 125

Pot-Pale Ale 127

Potted Porter 129

Light-Headed Lager 131

Headwiser 133

Recipes from Brewers Friend 134

BruHaHa Belgian-Style Tripel with THC 135

Cannabis IPA 137

Hempnotic Weizenbock 139

Hemp Brown Ale 141

Author Recipes 143

All-Wheat Lager 143

All-Wheat Lager 144

1970s Summertime Lager 145

1970s Summertime Lager 147

Non-Alcoholic Stout and Porter 148

NA Chocolate Coconut Cream Stout 149

NA Peanut Butter Porter 151

Cannabis Hard Seltzer 153

Hard Seltzer Recipe 156

10 The Road Ahead 159

Where We Came From 159

Where We Are Going 160

Cannabis Research Blooms 162

Cannabis and Medicine or Cannabis as Medicine? 162

The Future of Industry? 163

Pot in Your Pint 163

Feed Your Mind 164

Glossary 167

Bibliography 175

Index 187

Editorial Reviews

The similarities between the cannabis and beer industries are abundant, including the shared history of prohibition, the close taxonomic relationship between the cannabis and hop plants, the parallels in consumer preferences, and the increasing tendency for both markets to support big companies and small craft producers simultaneously. This book is an essential starting point and guide for businesses and home hobbyists alike in these innovative fields to learn from and collaborate with each other.

Morgan Fox

A comprehensive book regarding the use of cannabis in beer. I appreciate the information that was included on the safe use of cannabis with alcohol as well as some historical background and the biology of the plant. The author also provides recipes, allowing the reader to use this book as a guide from start to finish. There is no other book like this.

Betty Bollas