ARVADA, Colo. – The head brewmaster of Blue Moon Brewing Company announced he has a marijuana-infused, non-alcoholic beer in the works.
Keith Villa and his wife Jodi Villa founded CERIA beverages and have set their sights on being the first company to introduce a non-alcoholic craft beverage containing THC, a chemical found in marijuana plants.
They said they hope to accomplish this feat this year and have partnered with a Colorado-based cannabinoid research firm called ebbu.
According to a release, the beverages will be "sold chilled in licensed dispensaries, first in Colorado, then in other states where the use of recreational marijuana is legal" and will be sold in three strengths: Light, regular and full-bodied.
The Villas hope to get the drinks on the market in states where recreational marijuana is legal by the end of 2018. Consumers of the craft beers must be a minimum age of 21.
The beverages will be brewed similar to an alcoholic craft beer to maintain its beer taste and aroma, but will be de-alcoholized before it is infused with cannabis.
"Today, the opportunity and the demand are here – inviting Americans to enjoy a more social way of consuming cannabis – by drinking rather than by smoking it or through ingestion of edibles,” Keith Villa said.