Nowadays, states which have legalized cannabis in the U.S such as California and Colorado are on top when it concerns weed-infused beer, however, a Toronto based company in Canada called MedReleaf is planning to launch its own cannabis-infused beer.
According to Dooma Wendschuh who is the CEO of Province Brands of Canada (PBC), a premium beer and Spirits Company recently awarded with $300,000 in funding from the Government of Ontario, “People were thinking that we were crazy. Then they asked us how we were doing it”
This Toronto-based company has created a patent-pending process for transforming big cannabis compounds into a watery solution as a base for manufacturing brewed drinks such as premium beer products.
She said that they are currently utilizing the cannabis plants’ stocks, stems, and roots which is a waste stream and transforming it into a premium beer. She also said that they also use their waste streams and commercialize them.
According to Wendschuh, his team got the permission for an early political vote of support, was because the company is also seen as a valid waste reduction system. Health Canada is responsible for regulating the removal of unused cannabis items, similar to the treatment of medical waste, which can be expensive and harmful to the environment.
Through the utilization of heavily removed sections of the plant and recycling byproducts eliminated during the brewing procedure, such as ethanol or sugar for resale, PBC is implementing a new way to reduce waste.
According to Wendschuh, they can do a lot with their technology. It permits them to use an inefficient product and transform it into a good that is delicious and healthy.
PBC is associating with Loyalist College’s Applied Research Centre for Natural Products and Medical Cannabis (ARC) on a research project awarded through the Colleges Applied Research and Development Fund (CARDF), administered by Ontario Centers of Excellence.
The one-year research association will make PBC to progressively enhance their current prototypes and commercially increase in scale. In the meantime, the company has is currently respecting regulatory restrictions by using hemp, or by operating in jurisdictions which have legalized cannabis. The only Canadian College licensed by Health Canada to carry out research on medical cannabis is Loyalist, and some facilities in Ontario licensed to carry out research on under the Federal Narcotic Control Regulations.
In the meantime, PBC has manufactured two alcohol-free prototypes. The main product, the first cannabis-brewed beer in the world, is an imperial pilsner, and secondly a cannabis-infused blonde ale.
According to Wendschuh, the blonde ale is similar to what different people will have in the industry, however the other is very distinct. He also said that no matter the method used in cannabinoid intoxication, it will provide similar health risks as alcohol as far as liver disease, cancer, and depression are concerned.
Every PBC served at 12-ounce will be made up of 7 milligrams of THC and CBD, which are the 2 most popular compounds within the cannabis plant, and is intentionally low-dose to facilitate responsible consumption.
According to Wendschuh, the decline in the alcohol industry across the developing world has made good opportunities for the cannabis industry because it has practically given time for beverages to come first in the cannabis format wars. He also said that people are love drinking psychoactive compounds.
He added that there exist three legal psychoactive compounds currently on earth which include coffee, alcohol, and tobacco. Two of the three psychoactive compounds can be taken as beverages.
The company is planning to construct a commercial brewery in Ontario in preparation for legalization, however, there are other companies which are trying to compete with them.
An iconic alcohol brand responsible for Corona and Modelo called Constellation Brands Inc. was one of the first organizations to associate with a cannabis company in 2017 when $245 million was invested in exchange for a 9.9 percent stake in Canopy Growth Corp., which is a medical producer in a Canada.
The LP which was recently acquired by Aurora Cannabis called MedReleaf in a massive $3.2 billion deal, has placed investments in a cannabis-inspired beer which exists in the Canadian market. The San Rafael ’71 4:20 Pale Ale, created in association with Amsterdam breweries, is a weed-free preview of recreational products which will launch when edibles are legalized.
According to Wendschuh, the possibility for a successful combination of two successful industries became known to him when companies such as Constellation Brands came into the cannabis industry, however, he doesn’t believe that cannabis-infused beer can or should replicate the current craft movement.
According to Wendschuh, Canada is made up of an electric and growing craft beer ecosystem and their aim is not to make that ecosystem to make losses, however, to associate it with another kind of craft beer.
He added that they value originality. It isn’t about the complicated chemistry, chemicals or massive production. Their ingredients are cannabis, hops, and water plus some brewer’s yeast, which is easy to get.
About MedReleaf Corp.
MedReleaf Corp. was voted as the best Licensed Producer at the 2017 Lift Canadian Cannabis Awards, the company is an R&D-driven company which dedicates its priority to innovation, high-class production and the generation of the highest quality of cannabis products. Their cannabis is taken from all over the world and cultivated carefully in one of their two fascinating ICH-GMP and ISO 90001 licensed facilities in Ontario, the Company is responsible for producing a number of top class items for the worldwide medical market and is solely dedicated to fulfilling the medicinal needs of its medical patients and offering a powerful assortment of products for the adult-use recreational consumer.
