Pot beer could be next high for some home brewers

[Red_Scooter]

So, if MJ and hops are closely related...who's tried smoking hops?

 

[NorCalBrewin]

And I though beer couldn't get any more expensive.

 

[BrewKnurd]

So, if MJ and hops are closely related...who's tried smoking hops?

A number of pro brewers, at least that's what some of the early brewing network interviews indicated.

 

[skw]

There are a couple of breweries in Germany and Switzerland that use Hemp for flavoring (without TCH). I've tried some, and they were interesting, but not exciting. I rather have some good dry hopping. But hey, maybe someone will come up with a great recipe and strain, who knows? I'm sure that when humans first added hops to their beer, it didn't taste like a winner right away either.

More options = better beer.

 

[jakenbacon]

Totally met a guy who smoked hops. Was a total weirdo.....

 

[BrewKnurd]

Totally met a guy who smoked hops. Was a total weirdo.....

I've heard if you put them in your pillow that you'll have weird dreams. All I can say for sure is that if I tried it, me and my hop-smelling pillow would be sleeping on the couch in a heartbeat.

 

[+HopSpunge+]

I thought that's what is in heineken?

 

[Phunhog]

Wow!! 4 pages and the moderators still haven't shut it down. Must be some kind of record.

 

[BoomerHarley]

I've done it and it does work. True, it isn't as bitter as hops. I used it as I would use hops and was not going for the psychoactive properties. I wanted to strictly see if the flavor and aroma would come through.

What i found was that it gave a very nutty flavor, not bad at all. Unexpectedly, it got my high as a kite for about two weeks then not anymore. Flavorwise, it was much better after a few weeks. I doubt I will do it again because quite frankly I didn't enjoy the buzz.

Mods, I hope you let this stay. I am not advocating this or stating how to do it. I am just sharing my experience, which in my state is perfectly legal.

 

[techbrewie]

Or, save yourself the trouble and smoke, or vaporize, the MJ and drink the beer.

100% agree.

Beer will never replace hops either. Hops add 3 elements to beer. Bitterness, Flavor, and Aroma. Flavor and Aroma are the only components that weed could replace, as it does not have a high alpha acid content (im about 90% sure this is correct).

So really there would only be two reasons to add pot to a brew

1). THC.

THC can only be extracted using certain solvents and some types of fats. Butter is the most common for extracting thc from the bud. This is why brownies as well as other baked goods so popular among the cannabis community. If your not going the baked goods route the only other option you have is to use some sort of solvent (alcohol with 25-30% abv or higher, everclear, isopropyl alcohol, or food grade glycerin - what i would use if i were to put thc in my brew). cannabis is soaked in the solvent for days to weeks being shaken daily to extract the most amount of thc, the weed is strained from the liquid, then the solvent is allowed to evaporate leaving behind a sticky tintcure with highly concentrated thc. this could be added anytime after the boil(as it will evaporate with steam).

All of this aside, adding pure thc would not add anything to the quality, flavor, aroma, body, head, or bitterness of the beer, and if anything could add off flavors to your brew. There is also the school of thought that the more inebriated you are, the less you can enjoy the subtle characteristics of good beer.

2). Flavor
Regardless of quality, the raw taste of cannabis to me is not good(imho). Maybe it could work with a double or fruit IPA, but that could be a stretch. If there is interest here, i see it being sparse at best and for most brewers ending up being a weekend project not to be repeated.

Getting drunk is not the reason most homebrewers brew, so adding another mind altering agent doesnt really make sense. If you like the taste of raw weed then by all means give it a whirl, but I'm willing to bet you wont try it more than once.

-My 2 cents.

 

[Soup4you2]

Idk about that. Back in the day,guys used to make pot tea out of the stems. I keep thinking a pressure cooker worked better though. I guess it's like we used to say-if you remember it clearly,you weren't there.

I have heard of tea, but way back in the day we would add the stems with coffee grounds and make a nice tasty pot of coffee. But I love my beer and don't want weed in it. Besides wouldn't the boil kill the THC?

 

[stirge]

I have heard of tea, but way back in the day we would add the stems with coffee grounds and make a nice tasty pot of coffee. But I love my beer and don't want weed in it. Besides wouldn't the boil kill the THC?

Nah the boil doesn't kill THC, I knew a guy that made pot butter by simmering it in a skillet with butter and skimming the solids off the top, he would bake cookies, eat them before work, and sleep at his desk. Appeared to work quite well.

So it survived skillet simmering and baking, that's tough stuff.

 

[bovineblitz]

so when would be the best time to add marijuana? late in the boil, so they isomerize? (just like you bake pot in brownie for some chemical reason or another...)? or dry-hop?

flameout.

 

[MattHollingsworth]

I did it maybe 13 years ago. Ground up in a coffee grinder, put into whiskey for a week, poured into an IPA at kegging. Worked well, tasted good. Didn't replace the hops. Wouldn't do it now though. Mellowed with age, I suppose.

From what I remember, THC can be extracted with heat or alcohol, though with heat, I think it needs a fat like butter. Not sure, though.

 

[dfc]

First brewery to come out with a thc-infused brew? Ska or Stone?

Isn't Stone in CA? That would put them out of the running.

 

[unionrdr]

I watched an episode og brewing tv yesterday,ep66 I think. It was about eis beer,a stout he made. The chef guy he had on the show talked about herbs & spices where some are water soluable,others oil soluable. So maybe weed is that way too.

 

[bovineblitz]

I watched an episode og brewing tv yesterday,ep66 I think. It was about eis beer,a stout he made. The chef guy he had on the show talked about herbs & spices where some are water soluable,others oil soluable. So maybe weed is that way too.

So are hops, but we extract plenty of oil from them.

 

[Yooper]

No pot talk. Thanks.