5 Unique THC Drinks to Try in Minneapolis
THC options are blooming in Minneapolis thanks to new legislation that opened the door to a brand new industry, where THC-infused beverages are taking off as an alternative to alcohol consumption. Local breweries are producing their own unique THC drinks that are perfect for a social atmosphere and for nonalcohol drinkers to enjoy. As you’d expect, there’s a lot of variety in style and flavor from place to place. Try these flavorful and relaxing THC-dosed seltzers, juicy and fruity tonics, and botanical sips that were all made locally and in-house in Minneapolis.
Article by Loren Green
Each drink below is alcohol free, and most are also low calorie and gluten-free, too.
Modist has two product lines available, each with a fitting name to describe the experience. Tint is a low dose at 5mg per 16-ounce can, featuring relaxed flavors with medium carbonation. All Modist THC drinks use natural fruit, which makes a clear difference in the product, giving extra depth to the flavors and a fresher aroma. Flavors include Mango Passionfruit and Pineapple Raspberry and both are light and fruity on the tongue. They smell like real fruit and, while they look like a cloudy soda at first glance, it’s clear by the complexion that real fruit was used. Think easy-going fruited seltzers with zero artificial flavors.
Melt is a bigger dose: a 16-ounce can with two 5mg servings with similarly unique flavor combinations, including Ginger Lemon Lime and Blood Orange Raspberry Vanilla. The general experience is similar to Melt, but a little bigger in terms of flavor and THC. To use beer lingo, Melt is like an imperial version of Tint that will appeal to more seasoned THC consumers. Melt is more limited in availability with rotating flavors. The brewery also sells THC-infused gummies.
2. TWO Good and High Fever
Indeed Brewing Company
Syle: Botanical and Sparking water
Enjoy in the taproom and take to-go
Much like Modist, Indeed has two product lines with varied THC levels. TWO Good Lavender Lemon is just 2mg per serving is an herbal, sparkling beverage with pleasantly soft lavender on the nose and acidic lemon underneath. It’s not acidic lemon, but crisp and clean, with subtle flavors and a high, LaCroix-like carbonation level. This one feels gears toward people who shop in the natural foods aisle.
High Fiver is also highly carbonated with mild flavors. Citrus Grass offers light lemon-lime elements with a sweet orange finish that makes it refreshing without being sweet. Instead of adding sugars, the orange gives a natural sweet sensation and subtle herbal or earthy notes. This drink is fruity and bubbly and has 5mg THC and 5mg CBD per 12-ounce can. Double High Fiver is a 10mg product line with two colorful flavors: Pink Burst and White Gummy.
Indeed also sells gummies in each product line and just introduced two new to-go only occasional beverages: Turn Up, with a “Baja-Blast-inspired” flavor and made with 5mg THC, 100mg caffeine and electrolytes, plus its opposite, Turn Down, which is inspired by Sleepy Time tea and has 5mg THC, 10mg CBN, plus melatonin and tryptophan.
There are six “enlightening” flavors of THC tonics made by Venn, which rotate in availability. Zenn is a 5mg product line, while Zenn Tenn offers 10mg per can. The brewery launched with Paloma, a full-flavored, cocktail-inspired flavor similar to their Cosmosis sour ale of the same name. Other flavors include Pacific Punch, Blueberry Lemonade, Clusterfruit, and a cold press coffee.
While other breweries on this list lean crisp and mild with their THC drinks, Zenn and Zenn Tenn are made with real fruit puree and go big on flavor. They are fizzy and very juicy with natural flavors. Clusterfruit, sold in 16-ounce cans, has strong notes of pineapple and guava with complimentary mango and passionfruit flavors, similar to their imperial sour ale, but more juicy and less tart. Blueberry Lemonade (Zenn Tenn), however, is a tart THC drink, where blueberry leads but with a countering acidic lemon base and a bit of earthiness underneath, plus natural fruit sugars for balance. This drink pours pinkish violet, looking like a bright grape juice with bubbles and, summarizing the experience, it’s like a spritzy juice drink.
Gummies are also sold at the brewery in four flavors.
A THC product line from 56 Brewing, there are four flavors of Acre sparkling THC botanicals. Infused with 10mg THC and 10mg CBD they come in skinny 12-ounce cans, delivering tea-like flavors that are subdued, earthy, herbal and a little bit dank.
Hibiscus & Berry gives big fruity aromatics, mostly berry, while the drink itself is melly and fizzy with a medley of elderberry, blueberry, and raspberry that are complimented by a soft and florbal hibiscus later. Peach White Tea is equally soft, fruity, and floral. Made with tea, this has a little caffeine, plus a light peachy flavor and a blend of herbal tea and an underlying dankness. Acre gummies are also sold onsite.
Wild Mind’s “Wild Waters” are sparkling water/fruit juice infusions with diverse, natural flavors and mild carbonation. Fruit puree gives each drink a thicker natural body that’s somewhere between juice and bubbly water. There is a wide product line that includes the Apex series (THC 10mg), the Serenity series (THC 10mg, 40mg CBD), and “Clear,” which is a nonfruited sparkling water. Flavors rotate, as does the dosage, ranging from 5 to 10mg per can.
Pineapple Orange Cherry is a delicate blend of the three fruits. Poured in a glass, it looks like a thick grapefruit juice with a big, fruity aroma. But it’s lighter in flavor than aroma. It starts with pineapple, then you get pithy sweet orange, with a little tart cherry at the finish. It’s a mild blend rather than a hard-hitting fruit cocktail. It’s mild, but still generally fruit forward. Citrus Punch offers a similar experience, but built on tangerine, orange, lime, and grapefruit. This will appeal to fans of orange juice, screwdriver cocktails, and hazy IPA drinkers. Fruit Punch is mild, compared to Venn Brewing Company’s Zenn cocktail, with those sweet juicebox flavors present, but more acidic pineapple and green apple, and a bit of tartness at the finish.
The brewery also has several gummy flavors available, with comparable flavors to their drink lineup, and CBD seltzer without THC. They also make a “THC Sota Pop” that is 25mg of THC per serving and is not available in Minnesota due to its high dosage.
The appeal of THC drinks
The overall THC beverage scene is surprisingly strong for a new category, with broad appeal beyond the craft beer scene. Trail Magic, a line of cocktail-like THC beverages manufactured by Minneapolis Cider Company, sponsored one of the first industry showcases and notes that THC beverages appeal to people who wish for lower calorie, less intoxicating options than beer. Low dose THC beverages are changing the local scene by giving more options and new flavors, which helps to make breweries more inclusive for a wider audience. Additionally, low dose drinks serve a distinct audience, who are often new or mild THC consumers.
Additional recommendations based on your desired style of beverage:
Full flavored: Trail Magic (Minneapolis Cider Company)
Sparkling beverages: Best Buds (Arbeiter Brewing), Tetra (Bauhaus Brew Labs), THC Sparkling Water (Fulton Brewing), Satellite (Inbound BrewCo), Take Five (Surly), Bandwagon (Utepils Brewing Co.)
Cannabis tones: DREAMN Terpene Tea (Inbound BrewCo), Chill State (Fair State Brewing Cooperative)
Shops with Unique THC Beverages
Dabbler Depot THC: A THC and CBD centric offshoot of Dabbler Depot liquor store in Saint Paul, this south Minneapolis shop has a crafted selection of products in a small neighborhood shop. Drinks include THC beverages from many in-state breweries, as well as BLANCD and Heti.Marigold: Visit Marigold in South Minneapolis for more NA beverages and cannabis drinks. Find unique THC cocktails like palomas and flora passionfruit margaritas. Marigold also stocks locally brewed beverages, like Trail Magic, Hiii sparkling water and Fair State's Hop Water.
Zero Proof Beverage House: This non-alcoholic beverage shop in Northeast Minneapolis specializes in functional beverages (these include adaptogens and nootropics, like Lions Mane mushrooms, kava, CBD and more), cannabis drinks galore, mocktails and NA beers and wine.
About the Author
Loren Green is a Minneapolis-based freelance writer. His work has appeared in All About Beer, The New Brewer, Star Tribune, Paste, City Pages, Scene Point Blank, and more. Besides beer, he also writes about music, culture, and related topics. Follow him on Twitter at @lorenmgreen or www.lorengreenwrites.com.
