Maryland-based Flying Dog Brewery and Green Leaf Medical Cannabis are hoping to release Hop Chronic IPA, the state of Maryland’s first THC-infused non-alcoholic beer.
The release depends on pending approval from the Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission first however. The Commission has not yet allowed companies to produce or sell edible cannabis products.
“For people who don’t want to smoke, don’t want to vape, there’s no path of experiencing the therapeutic benefits,” Flying Dog CEO Jim Caruso told Brewbound. “It feels good to be a part of creating a delicious IPA where people who want to experience cannabis that way can do that.”
“When you have other states doing it, I think it’s a lot easier to start that regulatory approval process,” he added.
“We’re very familiar with how to get the hop character into a very low-alcohol beer,” he said. “We’re very confident that we can come up with a terrific base beer that will make a delicious infused product.”
“We see a lot of interest in cannabis from the craft beer community, and we jumped at the opportunity to partner with Green Leaf on a product that captures the passion and energy you see in fans of both craft beer and cannabis,” states Flying Dog CMO Ben Savage. “There are definitely similarities between the natural flavor profiles we extract from hops and the terpenes and cannabinoids found in Cannabis.”
“In a way, the cannabis industry is a lot like the craft beer movement was a few decades ago,” Green Leaf CEO Phil Goldberg said. “We have to educate people and change the overall perception of what cannabis is, what it could be, and how it might benefit people. Partnering with Flying Dog seemed like another great way to get more people interested in cannabis.”
