only game in town for CBD-infusion. Alfa
Laval’s Alfadose mechanizes CBD-infusion
of non-alcoholic beer at a large scale.
“This machine actually has the ability
to trace how much of something is there
in the beer streams, and it can also
make it so that it knows how much beer
is flowing and how much needs to be
added, so the product can be consistent
from one manufacturing run to the
other,” said Ivanov.
Or, daring individuals can order
CBeerD online and personally stir the
CBD product into any drink they want.
“What we’re getting from customer
feedback is our product works well with
seltzers, hoppy beers like IPAs and pale
ales and white spirits like gin, vodka or
white rum. You can put it in your tea if
you want. We don’t care what customers
put it in, but alcohol seems most popular,”
said Mynatt who sells CBeerD in 100
milligram (four millilitre) bottles.
Licensed CBD and THC beverages in
Canada can contain no more than 10 mg
active THC ingredient per serving.
Beyond strength, packaging has to
be considered. Han discovered some
F E AT U R E
aluminum can-liners absorb CBD oil,
causing a 70 per cent drop in potentcy.
This isn’t the only packaging challenge
for cannabis beverage producers. Every
cannabis drink sold in Canada must
include a child-proof cap, and there
are restrictions on package design
and marketing that beer companies
don’t have.
Still with a potentially lucrative
upside and the opportunity to benefit
those looking to step away a little bit
from alcohol, many brewers want to
grapple with these challenges. Although,
there’s one thing they should keep in
mind if they hope to compete with major
players like Canopy Growth.
“Manufacturers need a deep
understanding of the current regulatory
framework because the regulations
around cannabis are very different from
the regulations around alcohol,” said
MacNeil. “Also, make sure cannabinoids
are built into the early development of
product versus an afterthought further
down the line. That will ensure a great
product in the end and fewer surprises
along the way.”
FALL 2020 § POURED CANADA § 33
/
