The CBD market is growing exponentially, predicted to be worth $1 billion by 2020. Among other products like CBD water or CBD salve, now there’s CBD beer.
In Vermont, Long Trail Brewing Company has partnered with Luce Farm to create CBD beer.
The craft brewery has been around since 1989, when it launched its original “Long Trail Ale.” Meanwhile, Joe and Rebecca Pimentel, the farmers behind Luce Farms, have been growing organic produce and medicinal herbs for over a decade. In 2016, they also began to grow high-CBD hemp. The crop came out so well, they wanted to make a hemp-infused product for the local market — so this year, they began to infuse honey with CBD hemp. The infused honey became wildly popular.
Then Matt Kopicki, a bartender at the Long Trail restaurant, caught on and became friends with Joe Pimentel. Kopicki began using the CBD honey for therapeutic benefits and word spread around the Long Trail staff, eventually reaching general manager Brian Sherwood.
“We developed the strategy of partnering with our favorite Vermont brands to help promote our own products. General Manager Brian Sherwood and I have been talking about some sort of collaboration for over a year now. I brought him the honey with hopes of using it in the kitchen, and selling retail at the brewery gift shop,” said Joe Pimentel. However, then they came to the agreement to brew a small batch of Luce farmhouse CBD brew. The batch came out on August 22.
“We were very excited when approached by Luce Farm. We weren’t too concerned about the perception — to us, it sounded like a unique and interesting opportunity,” said Ian Harbage, co-head brewer at Long Trail Brewing Company. “It’s a great local connection and a chance for us to try new ingredients and learn from the process.”
So far, the new beer’s ABV is predicted to be around six percent. It’s not bitter, but is brewed with Citra and Mosaic hops (hops and cannabis happen to be related) and contains freshly grated ginger and of course Luce Farm’s hemp honey with CBD.
While the new beer doesn’t have a name yet, it will be released this Labor Day weekend. The Long Trail restaurant will also be featuring Luce Farm CBD-honey on its cheese place this winter.
