Raising a Keefmaster for beer brands that cater to the cannabis crowd
As I’ve noted many times before, it was Mike Crawford from the Young Jurks who years ago said that breweries which support weed culture and legalization would likely reap rewards that come from being in with the cannabis community.
Back when Crawford made that prediction, a lot of breweries—and restaurants, and politicians, and the Boston Globe, and just about every other establishment entity with power and megaphones—were riding hard against adult-use. Seeing little more than competition in the prospect of dispensaries showing up on every corner, beer and booze interests formed groups, lobbied against inevitability, and basically made complete dicks of themselves. All in the name of greed and against legal weed.
As I have noted before, way before others jumped on the cannabis bandwagon, Widowmaker showed that they’re kind to the bud—from collaborating with the Terptown Throwdown festival in Central Mass and showing that there is a place for hopheads among potheads, to teaming up with the Mass delivery operator Rolling Releaf on a terpene-infused IPA dubbed Welcome to Grassachusetts. That number, packing bubblegum, mango, and pine punches for a 4/20 release, was truly outstanding.
A cause for celebration, their Keefmaster follows past terpenic efforts. Brewed with Columbus, Citra, and sweet Simcoe Cryo, there’s enough tart-itude and citrus running through this gulpable light 6.2% ABV IPA to remind you to pull on the Mango Kush blunt in your left hand. And Widowmaker isn’t cloaking the concept in the least. Their pitch: “This beer will take you high as the sky!”
Kudos to the Braintree brewery (with a Boston taproom on the way) for producing 420 tributes that get mouths watering for joint time but that aren’t actually infused with THC or any other cannabinoid. Plus extra props for their descriptions, like this one of their latest which inspired this salute:
“Not sure if anyone has caught on but we are pretty big into the sweet leaf. The smell, the taste, the way it makes ya’ feel. That’s right we’re talking about hops! What did you think we were talking about?”
Frankly, I’m not so sure anymore. But I like the way it makes me feel.
widowmakerbrewing.com
A Queens, NY native who came to New England in 2004 to earn his MA in journalism at Boston University, Chris Faraone is the editor and co-publisher of DigBoston and a co-founder of the Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism. He has published several books including 99 Nights with the 99 Percent, and has written liner notes for hip-hop gods including Cypress Hill, Pete Rock, Nas, and various members of the Wu-Tang Clan.
