When New Belgium‘s latest offering leaves the Fort Collins brewery for national distribution next week, one state will be noticeably absent from the list — Kansas. That’s because the so-called HPA is brewed with hemp, an ingredient that despite state still classifies as a Schedule I narcotic.
“This beer has been over two years in the making, most of the time spent learning and reacting to laws that really suppress this crop’s usage,” said Ross Koenigs, New Belgium’s Research and Development Brewer, in a press release. “Flavor-wise, this the beer we wanted to make, but due to misinformed laws governing the use of industrial hemp, we had to take a creative and long-winding road to get to this point.”
The Hemperor HPA is brewed with hemp hearts (not flower), then dry-hopped with Simcoe and experimental HBC 522 hops. And while it may be free of THC or CBD, two of more than 100 cannaboids in marijuana, you can still expect a little buzz; it clocks in at seven percent ABV. Set for a national release, look for The Hemperor HPA on draft until bottles hit stores on May 21st.
Hops: Nugget, Cascade, HBC 522 and Simcoe
ABV: 7%
IBU: 55
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