Cannabis and Hops... Let's Make some Beer

Glaucoma said:

I built myselfilar contraption for my kegs. The difference being mine is between my keg and my pint glass and holds a solid ounce of fresh hops. Talk about a huge floral boost! I introduced it once at a beer festival and that keg was drained in 15 mins.

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I went to a brewery that did something like this but they used rosemary. It really did pull alot of flavor and it tasted really good with the hoppy beer.

yktind said:

I am thinking about getting a 5 gallon keg or maybe used kegerator. Anyone ever use one of these instead of bottling?

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Get your hands on some of those metal soda syrup canisters, that's the ticket.

Texas(THC) said:

why not use hash oil in the recipe
super easy to decarb and you may be able to just add it in the end
of a normal brew

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That is definitely going to be one of the options to try! I think there will be some different flavors and highs between the different methods that we try.

Glaucoma said:

I happen to be a very experienced brewer. I've even done small hobby brews with a German Brewmaster, so I like to think I know what I'm doing.

When it comes to making a weed beer, I've failed every time trying to use flowers. I've tried dry hopping it, I've tried throwing it into the normal hop schedule. It just sucks. Those are the only batches I've ever made that didn't turn out well.

If you want to add a weed buzz to your brew, use an extract when you bottle/keg. For flavor.. stick to hops.

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I appreciate your input. My aim is less about the potency of THC. That is easy to add using extractions. What I want is an explosion of flavor, smell with delicious smooth finish.

greenlikemoney said:

Get your hands on some of those metal soda syrup canisters, that's the ticket.

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A 5 gallon corny keg is the only way to go! Plus, once you have a CO2 bottle, it's useful for more than just carbonating/pushing beer. I purge my secondary and kegs with CO2 before racking so I can minimize oxygen exposure. I can also sanitize my kegs and use CO2 to push out the idophor solution and store my empty kegs presanitized and ready to fill. The only time I bottle is if I have a beer intern to do all the grunt work for me. =)

yktind said:

I appreciate your input. My aim is less about the potency of THC. That is easy to add using extractions. What I want is an explosion of flavor, smell with delicious smooth finish.

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Lots of things have been used when hops are not available. If you have access to hops though.. it's damn hard to beat.

I'll be keeping an eye on this.. I'm curious if you find a good recipe. It may very well be similar to using hops, as in, it could be very strain dependent. Could be the strains I tried just weren't appropriate. (though, honestly.. they all tasted like complete ass)

Glaucoma said:

A 5 gallon corny keg is the only way to go! Plus, once you have a CO2 bottle, it's useful for more than just carbonating/pushing beer. I purge my secondary and kegs with CO2 before racking so I can minimize oxygen exposure. I can also sanitize my kegs and use CO2 to push out the idophor solution and store my empty kegs presanitized and ready to fill. The only time I bottle is if I have a beer intern to do all the grunt work for me. =)



Lots of things have been used when hops are not available. If you have access to hops though.. it's damn hard to beat.

I'll be keeping an eye on this.. I'm curious if you find a good recipe. It may very well be similar to using hops, as in, it could be very strain dependent. Could be the strains I tried just weren't appropriate. (though, honestly.. they all tasted like complete ass)

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I think I know what flavor you are referring to. In a previous post I wrote about chewing on a hop compared to a cannabis bud. They start the same but end very differently.

Cannabis = Grass
Hop = More Bitter w/ almost 0 plant flavor

By using dried cured buds I am assuming/ hoping that most of that "grass flavor" will already be gone. This plus doing the quick wash with High gravity IPA wort will, in theory, be exactly what I am looking for. Then it just comes down to tweaking the recipe, getting cannabis completely legalized and making a bagillion dollars, haha.

Damn Y Im late to the party.....But this was awesome ....You and vostok are my heros LMAO.....

Thanks for joining the party. Will be doing a taste taste tonight of our Cincinnati style pale ale. Right off the bat I already know it is over carbonated. We tried one last week and it was very crisp. Not unpleasant just isn't the appropriate level of carbonation for the specific style of beer we were going for.

NTS - You will almost never use a full 5 oz. priming bag of sugar. Especially with Pale Ales (should have used like 2 oz)

I like this thread! good job yktind.

Here are the results:

Cincinnati Pale Ale using Nugget and Cascade:
The smell has a nice malty tone almost molasses like.
Taste is very crisp. I think this because of the of doing priming sugar. Should have used 2 oz instead of 5 oz. It isn't unpleasant just not the way it is supposed to feel.
The flavor is almost spicy. I believe the first round of hops with the nugget gave it this. It lingers for a few seconds then turns sweet.

Wish I could give some more detail but this is really the first time I have ever recorded flavors of beer.


Notes for next brew:
Add more aroma hops. Will try a dry hop on the next batch. It will be a mixture of cascade and one other type. Can't remember the name. The bitterness is right where it feels nice but gives a little kick but I can't smell any of the hops...

Color of the beer is beautiful nice amber. Similar to a bass or amstel light. Totally different flavor but same color.

Hopefully I can develop my palate over the next couple of batches. So I can better describe the CPA (Cannabis Pale Ale) once I design the recipe. Gotta find a nice combo that will highlight the cannabis without over powering it but should match with similar aromas and flavors. At least from what I think. Really there will be a different recipe for every strain known to man.

Also, if any of you guys have brewed any batches and would like to share the recipe please feel free to post.

yktind said:

Here are the results:

Cincinnati Pale Ale using Nugget and Cascade:
The smell has a nice malty tone almost molasses like.
Taste is very crisp. I think this because of the of doing priming sugar. Should have used 2 oz instead of 5 oz. It isn't unpleasant just not the way it is supposed to feel.
The flavor is almost spicy. I believe the first round of hops with the nugget gave it this. It lingers for a few seconds then turns sweet.

Wish I could give some more detail but this is really the first time I have ever recorded flavors of beer.


Notes for next brew:
Add more aroma hops. Will try a dry hop on the next batch. It will be a mixture of cascade and one other type. Can't remember the name. The bitterness is right where it feels nice but gives a little kick but I can't smell any of the hops...

Color of the beer is beautiful nice amber. Similar to a bass or amstel light. Totally different flavor but same color.

Hopefully I can develop my palate over the next couple of batches. So I can better describe the CPA (Cannabis Pale Ale) once I design the recipe. Gotta find a nice combo that will highlight the cannabis without over powering it but should match with similar aromas and flavors. At least from what I think. Really there will be a different recipe for every strain known to man.

Also, if any of you guys have brewed any batches and would like to share the recipe please feel free to post.

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Have you tried to brew any of the fruittier Beers? Kinda like Sam Adams Chery wheat I guess?

WHODAT@THADOR said:

Have you tried to brew any of the fruittier Beers? Kinda like Sam Adams Chery wheat I guess?

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I am what you call a hop head. I like IPA's and similar. I wouldn't mind making a fruitier beer would probably skip the wheat cause I don't like wheat beer.

Here is a fresh poured beer, Another note is that this "Cincinnati Batch doesn't hold a hold for longer than 30 secs (See below for more on head). You can see it fading away through the pics:



Also found this company "Howe Sound" yesterday at Total Wine. They are from British Columbia and have a pretty cool story. Gotta say this is a pretty damn good IPA. Very malty bitter with a nutty sweet finish. Like roasted malt was used maybe: Even the beer is a bit more cloudy.




What is a beer head?

For me: It helps identify the different smells that are inside the beer. It also looks cool. That is about as much as I know about it. If there is to much that is bad to little that is bad.

Below is what Wikipedia calls Beer Head:

Beer head (also head) is the frothy foam on top of beer which is produced by bubbles of gas, typically carbon dioxide, rising to the surface. The elements that produce the head are wort protein, yeast and hop residue. The carbon dioxide that forms the bubbles in the head is produced during fermentation. The carbonation can occur before or after bottling the beer. If the beer continues fermenting in the bottle, then it naturally carbonates and the head is formed upon opening and/or pouring the beer. If the beer is pasteurized or filtered then the beer must be force carbonated using pressurized gas.

The density and longevity of the head will be determined by the type of malt and adjunct from which the beer was fermented. Different mash schedules and cereal sources influence head retention. In general, wheat tends to produce larger and longer-lasting heads than barley.

Here is a link to wikipedia if you want to read more about head:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beer_head

After tasting this delicious new IPA. I have decided to incorporate some whole grain on the next brew. Will be doing research over the next couple of days.

Also, this book "How to Brew" by John Palmer, has been so helpful. It really breaks things down. The cool thing is it has a couple of quick and easy recipes so you can basically buy it and start brewing. Then it has other chapters for some one like me who is just getting into brewing and would like to get a bit more involved. Very good book and easy to read.

I read a chapter about Malt yesterday and how it is actually made where it comes from etc. Also, learned about sugar and which sugars yeast prefer to eat. I'll share some of the more interesting stuff when I come across it. At least the stuff that is interesting to me.

Please RIU feel free to post anything about beer. The more knowledge the better.

If you want quality beer you have to use quality malt.

Here is a little article on malt:
https://byo.com/stories/item/1101-making-malt-extract

-----Paraphrase 1 paragraph-------------

"Brewing-grade malt extracts are made with only the highest quality brewing malts and get additional colors and flavors from using specialty malts. This gives them a flavor suitable for beer or other products where they are the main flavor component. Food-grade malt extracts are often made with non-brewing grade food or distilling malt, and are usually used as a minor ingredient. In many cases, malted barley products for the food industry are blended with corn syrup, caramel color or other ingredients. This might not be apparent from the trade name or brand name of the product, but it will appear on the ingredient statement. Darker versions of food grade extracts are often made by heating them until they darken to the desired color. This lowers the pH of the extract and generates darker, molasses-like flavors."

Hey hop head!lol....Guess you like adams maybe?Double the hops of normal beers..... ......Its my jam...Im gonna get that book and check it out... I'm quite ignorant in the art of brewing but you've given me that spark to wanna pick it up ...Wish I could contribute more, But looks like ya got that coveredAwesome thread BTW

i just got back from the store with a 6.5 gallon kit and ingredients for an IPA. Will probably brew it later this week or over the weekend. The brew supply store is moving next week and will be less than 5 miles from the house so that will be cool. I also gotthe john palmer book and heard its the go to guide for brewing. I tried reading it a while ago but i dont think it will make much sense until i actuallyget my hands on a batch or two.

farmasensist said:

i just got back from the store with a 6.5 gallon kit and ingredients for an IPA. Will probably brew it later this week or over the weekend. The brew supply store is moving next week and will be less than 5 miles from the house so that will be cool. I also gotthe john palmer book and heard its the go to guide for brewing. I tried reading it a while ago but i dont think it will make much sense until i actuallyget my hands on a batch or two.

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I think brewing is up there in addictions just under growing, lol.

NTS: Buy 2.5 lbs of Grain.

Will be doing the same recipe with a couple of tweaks. We will start with:

2.5 lbs Grain (TBD - Will go down to brew shop and smell until something stands out)
-Note- This ^ will be steeped for 30 mins @150f, in about 1 gallon of water. Wort will then continue as normal. With more water added totaling 3 gallons for the main boil.
3 lbs Pale LME
3 lbs Amber DME
1 Oz Nugget (Bittering) - 15 min boil then add
2 Oz Cascade (Aroma + Flavor) - 1 oz @ 30 Min and 1 oz @ 45 Min boil then add (or last 30 min and last 15 min of total boil)
1 - 2 Oz (TBD) Dry Hop after Cooling and going into first Fermentation Bucket (1 Week). Then transfer to glass carboy and let settle for additional week. Then prime with 3 oz. corn sugar and bottle.

The goal is more hop smell and flavor w/o adding to much bite. Also want to have a delicious malt smell.

Brew Day is Saturday!!!!

what is IPA? second question.. When are you planning on throwing in some buds?

youngbuzz101 said:

what is IPA? second question.. When are you planning on throwing in some buds?

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Well there is no rush. I'd like to get it right on the first try. Right now I am getting into brewing on my own. I have a few brews under my belt but that was with my uncle leading. Now it is just me. So First I need to have a good tasting beer so that the bud can compliment it. I have the buds sitting in a vacuum sealed bag waiting to be tossed in. The main goal here is getting an amazing taste and smell out of it. With the added benefit of a moderate high (This way you can drink more then one beer). By my calculations I will need approx 54 grams of cured Cannabis. I am not in a hurry to fuck up that much bud, lol. I don't want to dash anyone's dreams but realistically the CPA will not be brewed until September. I have some more reading and learning to do but I am very confident that we can get it right and prove to everyone that says "It cannot be done without tasting like grass", that in Can be Done!!!

Thanks to everyone who has been dropping by, giving advice and support!


An IPA is a subcategory of Pale Ale, usually a gigher ABV% and usually pretty hoppy and bitter.

Here is what Wiki has to say about it:

1. India Pale Ale or IPA is a hoppy beer style within the broader category of pale ale. It was first brewed in England in the 19th century. The first known use of the term "India pale ale" is an advertisement in the Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser in 1829.