Hemp beer set to arrive this summer

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This article was published 23/03/2018 (2225 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A new partnership between Fort Garry Brewing and Delta 9 Cannabis is going to mean there will be hemp beer will on the market this summer and cannabis-infused drinkables when the regulations become more clear.

The deal between the two Winnipeg companies will have Delta 9 supply Fort Garry with hemp seed for a hemp beer that won’t contain any other psychoactive agents from the cannabis plant.

The exact style and name for the beer is still to be determined.

“We see this as a great partnership between two iconic brands in Manitoba,” Delta 9 CEO John Arbuthnot said. “Fort Garry Brewing is one of the best craft brewers in Canada. Combining our joint expertise will allow us to provide some really innovative beverages for customers from coast to coast. The fact that this is a made-in-Manitoba partnership with our favourite brewery is icing on the cake.”

Fort Garry Brewing general manager Orest Horechko said they are excited about the partnership with one of Canada’s largest cannabis producers.

“We’re very happy that two local companies are getting together to move forward on an amazing project, that will result in a fantastic, 100 per cent made-in-Manitoba product,” Horechko said.

While a new craft beer will likely be a fun addition to the patio season, the bigger part of the agreement is the second phase — a cannabis-infused drinkable containing the psychoactive agent, THC, that will pack a punch.

Gary Symons, Delta 9’s director of communications, said, “Drinkables is a big market in the U.S. In places like Colorado, it is stronger than what you will see here in Canada where we will probably be a little more cautious.”

The development of a concept beverage — a co-branded, cannabinoid-infused beer that contains no alcohol — will have to wait on regulatory approval from Health Canada and provincial regulatory bodies. Delta 9 will be developing an extract lab when regulations emerge that provides clarity as to exactly what it can do.

Fort Garry will handle the marketing and advertising costs of the hemp beer and Delta 9 will incur the costs associated with marketing and advertising of the phase 2 product.

Earlier in the week, Delta 9 signed a $6.25-million letter of intent to acquire the 80,000-square-foot building it currently is using as well as additional buildings totalling 100,000 square feet along with 47 acres of adjacent land for future expansion.

martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca