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Harpoon Brewery dabbles in legal weed beverage market

February 28, 2023Chris Crowell

Harpoon Brewery

Harpoon Brewery has been pushing the boundaries of better-for-you beers the last few years, even aligning its Rec League beer with recreational activities and co-branding special edition packages with the likes of Reebok. Well, this year, Harpoon gets recreational in a different and clever way with its first THC-based beverage: Rec. Weed.

“The adult beverage space is constantly evolving. With THC now legalized in states across much of the country – especially here in the Northeast – we saw not only high demand for a THC-based beverage, but an opportunity to experiment in a way that would uniquely leverage our strengths in the beer world,” said Dan Kenary, CEO and co-founder of Harpoon.

Made in partnership with Massachusetts’ Novel Beverage Company, Rec. Weed is a hop-forward yet approachable beverage made with 5 milligrams of THC, real passionfruit puree, green tea, and hops at only 25 calories and 3 grams of sugar per can.

“We knew we had to find the right partner to help craft Rec. Weed, and Novel Beverage Co.’s vast knowledge of the industry and strong New England roots made them the ideal team to work with on this release,” Kenary said.

Rec. Weed is brewed similarly to a session ale but without fermentation, meaning it has no alcohol content. The process starts with a base of green tea and a bit of added sugar, followed by the cold steeping of Citra and other West Coast hop oils and passionfruit puree. After the steeping process, THC is added to the liquid base, and the beverage is carbonated like a traditional beer. This process imparts minimal THC flavor or aroma. And because the THC is absorbed into the liquid, people feel its effects quicker than with more common edibles.

“Our consumers come to us with an innate curiosity to try new THC products from brands they can trust. Rec. Weed meets them at the intersection of what they want – a buzz through a non-alcoholic and low-calorie beverage that doesn’t sacrifice on taste,” Donald Wyse, COO of Seagrass Dispensary in Salem, MA. “Both Harpoon’s and Novel Beverage Co.’s expertise in their respective fields contributed to creating an exciting product we know our consumers will love. We’re excited to roll Rec. Weed out.”

Rec. Weed is actually the second step into marijuana-inspired products for Harpoon’s parent company, Mass. Bay Brewing Company, which previously launched Long Trail’s CBD Seltzer. The CBD seltzers are non-alcoholic, hemp-infused seltzers that pay homage to a classic Long Trail flavor.

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