Cannabis + Hops: A Match Made in Heaven

It started with one plant.

Let’s go back, way back, way before the days we partnered with our favorite beer company, Lagunitas, to create a vape cartridge that tastes like beer. Way before the days of coeds getting cross-faded. We’re talking around 27 million years ago. Oh yeah, that far back.

Around that time, cannabis and hops (humulus) started evolving from one common ancestor into two species. Today, we call that plant family “Cannabaceae.”

The two plants still have a lot in common, both have jagged-edged leaves, have many of the same terpenes, offer benefits, have similar seed and pollen, and here’s a fun fact for the ladies reading this: male cannabis and hop plants offer no commercial value. According to Jeremy Marshall, BrewMonster at Lagunitas, “In both the cannabis plant and the hop plant, you have to go in and eradicate all the males. No dudes allowed.”

Who runs the world?

Of course, we can’t forget to mention, what a role both have played in recreational enjoyment for humans.

You might be thinking, “Yeah, right, what kind of benefits does beer offer?” A lot, it turns out. As a matter of fact, according to WebMD, hops have been used to help treat anxiety, insomnia, restlessness, tension, excitability, ADHD, nervousness, irritability, and menopausal symptoms. No wonder so many people kick back with a beer to relax.

Fast forward to the present, and as fans of the two plants, we got together with craft-beer masters, Lagunitas, and gave them terpenes from our GSC and Blue Dream to create a limited-edition brew called “SuperCritical.” Then, we blended our potent distillate cannabis oil with terpenes extracted from mosaic, citra, and other hop varietals to create two flavors using Lagunitas’ proprietary hop-blend recipes. That’s how we ended up with the cartridges Stereoterpical (think: crisp, citrusy ale) and Hop Cannon (think: hoppy, IPA-style).

Two prominent terpenes in these flavors are found in both cannabis strains and hop varietals: myrcene (has an earthy and musky taste and offers anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and sedating effects) and humulene (has an earthy and woody taste and offers deep relaxing effects).

So, let’s raise a vape and make a toast to that ancient ancestor that brought us our two favorite things. Cheers!