Without sounding like some sort of a new age hippie or something, I have come to the conclusion that hemp is going to be a major part of our future.
It seems like usage and interest in the crop has only exploded in recent years. It’s being used for materials, foodstuffs, medicine, and more.
Even beer. On my last visit to Coastal Karma Brewing in Lake Park, I should have anticipated and interest in hemp judging by the nice wall of CBD products they had available for sale. (As an aside, I am well aware both hemp and hops are close relatives of marijuana.)
Back to the beer and the fact that Coastal Karma had more than one beer featuring hemp seed in the brewing. I decided to go for Pineapple Express (Sour, 3.8% ABV, 5 IBU).
And yes, I’m firmly aware Pineapple Express is the name of a strain of marijuana. That fact did not escape me either.
I was not interested in that, as my interest was split between trying something with hemp seed and the fact that this was a kettle sour made with pineapple and coconut. Sue me for loving a good pina colada beer.
It pours nice and bright yellow, very pineapple-esque, with a bright pineapple aroma that practically zings out of the glass. There is definitely an electricity in the beer.
The flavor is quite an interesting experience, and it definitely starts right off with pineapple goodness. I’ve always found pineapple to be aggressively tart anyway, and attaching that to a kettle sour just brings the pucker full circle.
When that subsides, then you start to walk into a dark, beefy sort of sweetness coming from the coconut. It’s definitely mature and unsweetened, more of the natural essence of coconut rather than something has been artificially processed. But once you sit with that for a few seconds, then you get this interesting nutty quality.
It’s woody and walnut and oak, all at the same time. I was told that would be expected from the hemp seed. It’s not altogether unpleasant. Kind of enjoyable, and I never would have expected attaching it to a pineapple kettle sour.
So the beer will not get you high. But it will make you happy because you will have consumed in a fantastic beer that has a number of different qualities I had never anticipated seen together. I must say I am enjoying the hemp seed in the beer. It’s an interesting ingredient that brings a lot to the party and I would like to see more brewers using it.
As for the other kind of Pineapple Express, I will let you do what you wish.
Drink Florida Craft,
Dave
@floridabeerblog
floridabeerblog@gmail.com
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