Cannabis and Beer | The Crafty Cousins

Craft cannabis and craft beers share many similarities, from the rise in popularity of their respective industries to the appreciation of both as an art and science. As the title of this article suggests, yes, the hops that have become so famous for giving craft beer their different flavor profiles and the plant we have celebrated for its medicinal purposes’ cannabis, are actually cousins! Humulus lupulus, the common hop or hops is a species of flowering plant in the hemp family Cannabaceae, which sounds like cannabis already, as cannabis also falls within this family.

We as humans use our senses to understand and learn about the world around us. Notably, cannabis and beer (hops), two really bring out our sense of smell and taste, arguably for sight as well.

Who doesn’t like the sight of a beautiful, resinous craft bud or of a cold glass of craft beer with an appealing, unique color?

This is exciting for people who like to try new things AND who like to have their senses teased and pleased. Both plants contain terpenes that lend to craft beer’s flavor profile, to craft cannabis’ taste and overall aroma for these two cousins.

They have some of the same terpenes like pinene, humulene, and myrcene. The fact that these plant cousins share some of the same terpenes lends to why both share some of the same words like dank, earthy, citrusy, floral, and skunky.

This makes a lot of sense as to why these two would pair well together, not to mention these cousins also have their own mind-altering effects, in which terpenes can play a role, especially for cannabis.

Not only sharing in chemical properties, but the buds of cannabis and hops sure do look similar to each other.

Lead by passionate people who thrive on creating new, yet quality beers and strains is another common characteristic within these industries.

Cultivation of both plants has begun to lead to smaller, “hand-crafted” farms, which produce top-of-line premium buds and if you will, gourmet hops. What also makes this fun for everyone is that people can now try their hand at home brewing and growing cannabis in their homes! Some suggestive pairings of specific beers would recommend the skunky IPAs, lager style, fruity, sours, and even a few stouts with their deep, rich flavors.

Oklahoma native, who now perfects his knowledge of craft beer as a Colorado bartender, Justin Crawford, has some excellent pairings he himself has discovered and is excited to share.

So, let’s get crafty with trying his personal recommendations:

Horse and Dragon stout from Sad Panda brewery, a coffee stout that’s a hard hitter would pair nicely with a nighttime indica like the Night Nurse strain, known for its earthy, almost spicy coffee aromas.

New Terrain, a hazy IPA from North Star brewery would be paired best with an alike simple, hazy hybrid strain, like that of the classic Blue Dream buds.

Trump Hands, an IPA session with a twist of an American style beer brewed by Cannonball Creek, has strong herbal hops, sounds like a complex beer but would go quickly with just about any strain of cannabis, especially the likes of either the potent indica, Purple Chemdog or an easygoing Sativa like Strawberry Cough.

Juice Force Imperial IPA from New Belgium, is full of fruity delicious notes with a no hop burn and weighing in heavy at 9.5% ABV, would be complemented with a lighter, uplifting, and citrusy strain like that of Tangie or Super Lemon Haze.

Between both craft buds and beers, there are many and endless possibilities for pairings.

Ultimately, there are never any right or wrong answers when exploring pairing cannabis strains with craft beers, so do not let those pretentious pricks that are growers and brewers tell you otherwise.

Lastly, of course, be mindful and use both responsibilities!