WHAT HAVE FARAM’S GOT NOW?
BRINGING THE NEW TO YOU:
IT’S A DANK DISCOVERY.
Somewhere back in 2023, in a California laboratory, it went something like this…
“Folks, I’ve got a great idea. We’re going to fractionate hops and fruit and combine them to make true-to-type, 3d-printed cannabis flavours. We’re going to work with cutting edge brewers to dank-ify big, tasty beers in our own annual brewing competition, and across the US. Then, when we know it works, we’ll get Faram’s to distribute it.”
“Faram’s? Charles Faram? You’re going to ask Paul Corbett and co to sell CANNABIS FLAVOUR PROFILES? In the UK and Europe? Madness! Let’s do it. All aboard the Pineapple Express!”
Back at Faram’s HQ, we didn’t think it was madness, but we did have a proper think. Beer trends change over time, we’ve all seen that, and in the US there’s a busy, churning, melting pot of dankness and experimentation.
So, let’s open the door to that California laboratory, the home of newcomer AbstraxHops®, and see what happens…
The Science Bit
Terpenes are aromas and flavours produced by plants. They’re building blocks, so if you can separate them, you can also recombine them to precisely fit a particular flavour profile.
Brewers may be familiar with some of these terpenes like geraniol, linalool and myrcene. There are plenty more.
Abstrax are experts at this, having started out with cannabis extraction technology before expanding into brewing in 2023.
Abstrax’s brewing liquids use a proprietary, gentle method rather than the usual industry CO2 extraction process. Fully flowable at room temp, as is now the standard expectation.
What's Dank?
The word dank has existed in the hop and beer world for some time. While it’s long been used to describe particularly pungent hops, today, science has identified the cannasulfur compounds that produce the distinct “gassy” or “skunk-like” scent found in some cultivars.
Dank is part of the complexity of modern, hoppy beers and using Abstrax gives a ridiculously easy way of amplifying this category of flavours, giving new experiences to drinkers.
Thoughts From Brewers
While we build up a bank of feedback from our own brewers in the UK, we can take a look at what the US brewers have told Abstrax. From what's been said about awards etc., it's clearly an international enjoyment and not just over there in the States.
Mountains Walking - Sky Flowers Hybrid IPA
Winner of the 2023 Abstrax Skunkworks Best In Show beer award
When speaking about this beer and the crossover between cannabis consumers and beer drinkers, Mountains Walking head brewer Eric White said, “We’ve had good reception, and people are always excited about when we do something innovative. I think with the way that cannabis is received by people in the market, it’s no longer a naughty word.”
Additionally, Mountains Walking recently ran out of their Beyond Dank beer from an experimental Hazy IPA series called Opaque Thoughts.
Eric says: “I really like the word dank. If you talk to older brewers and younger brewers, it has quite a significantly different meaning. When we’re saying “Beyond Dank,” we’re not necessarily saying the dankest beer, depending on your interpretation of that word. But almost looking beyond just dankness and what that means. It’s got the cannabis flavors, it’s also got a lot of dank forward hops as well.”
The Sky Flowers Hybrid IPA was infused with Pineapple Express BrewGas Series and hopped with Citra and Experimental Hops HBC 586 and Cryo 602. This dank beer provided an explosion of tropical flavours and aromas that showcased the synergy between cannabis and hops.
Fair State Brewing Coop
We have noticed a certain portion of our clientele is less interested in the newest fruitiest hops and softest hazy IPAs. They want a return to the dank, piney, bitter IPAs of yesterday but with a fresh face and an exciting angle. The use of Abstrax terpenes has allowed us to create an IPA that is both nostalgic and new, a marriage of the stickiest hops to come out of Yakima and the dankest weed aromas to come out of your local grow-op.
These aromas are very shelf-stable, cost-effective, and exciting to the customers and brewers alike. The ease of use for these terpenes cannot be downplayed, a truly water soluble, flowable product that homogenizes easily and stays in suspension long past packaging. I’m a full convert and believe we will see a not-so-distant future with terpene-based IPAs being the norm, not the exception.
Joe Wells
Head Brewer
Fair State Brewing Coop
See What Dank Delights We Have in Stock
And it's not just dank We've got the latest liquids for fruit and hop flavours. The technology is so great, we'll be receiving a shipment of our own hops in a few weeks! How does that saying go? If I could bottle it, I would! Well we have. Imagine it, Harlequin® in a bottle.
