
Vibe Check: THC Beverages and the Ticking Clock in 2026
Now that the days of unregulated hemp beverages are numbered, how is the industry reacting, and what might the next phase look like? While certainty is scarce, optimism remains plentiful.
14 articles in this category

Now that the days of unregulated hemp beverages are numbered, how is the industry reacting, and what might the next phase look like? While certainty is scarce, optimism remains plentiful.

With a looming ban on hemp-derived THC products set to take effect in months, the leading advocate for hemp beverages talks about their future, their similarities to craft beer, and what happens next.

Senators who oppose hemp-derived intoxicants slipped a ban into the bill that ended the government shutdown. Now it’s law, and businesses making THC beverages have a year to lobby for changes—even while preparing to discontinue those products or close up shop.

Opportunities are knocking in the cannabis-beverage space, but there are also risks and uncertainties. Should your brewing business open the door?

Curious about the heady world of cannabis drinks? The barriers to entry are lower than you might think—but just because your brewery can, doesn’t mean it should.

As a brewer, you have experience in making delicious beverages, but hemp-derived THC drinks are not beer. Here’s what to know about production timelines, sales, staffing, and more.

In roughly half the United States, a growing number of hemp-based THC products are finding customers, often in a regulatory vacuum. There are opportunities there for small breweries—but there are also plenty of questions yet to be resolved.

From THC in the taproom to festgoers at FoBAB, here are some recent news and announcements from around the industry.

Legal hurdles aside, there are technical obstacles to getting the main psychoactive component of cannabis into beverages in a stable, predictable way. John M. Verive explains the challenge, the science, the gear—and why it’s coming to a brewery near you.

From HopTea to Howdy Beer, here are some recent news and announcements from across the beer industry.

From diversity at CBC to a brewery-led market hall with pet groomers, here are some happenings and announcements from around the industry.

In Durango, Colorado, Ska Brewing’s path to hard seltzer and CBD-infused soda began by making flavored water for the team and giving it away to patrons. Scaling up to alcoholic seltzer worth drinking, however, proved to be a bigger challenge than expected.

Donna Wamsley of Seattle-based SoRSE Technology—a specialist in figuring out how to get flavors into our foods and drinks—talks consumer trends and what’s on the horizon for the beer industry.

The Ontario-based Aphria calls its $300 million acquisition of the “420” brewer a “strategic entry into the United States.”