Beer and Weed Pairing: Which Strains Go With IPAs, Brown Ales and Stouts

Pairing beer and weed works a lot like pairing beer and food: you match the strain's terpenes (its aroma compounds) with the beer's hops and malt so each brings out flavors in the other, like a fruity strain next to a hoppy IPA. Most commercial cannabis beer has no THC and uses the flower only for aroma and flavor, while pairing the two at the table means stacking two buzzes, so go easy. The cannabis industry keeps growing and its products keep evolving, from drinks and cosmetics to smoking gear and grow supplies, and cannabis beer is one of the categories with more and more flavors on offer.

Plenty of drinks now include cannabis ingredients, and they keep getting more popular, but beer is the one that caught on most. No surprise there: in some countries people drink well over 100 liters (26 gallons) of beer a head every year, and it's hard to find someone who doesn't enjoy a cold one.

What Is Cannabis Beer?

Craft cannabis beer was born to bring out subtle aromatic notes you might never have noticed. Drink a beer on its own and some of the quieter flavors are easy to miss, but put the two together and they really pop.

One of the founders of a cannabis beer brand explained that when he paired an India Pale Ale with certain fruity strains, he picked up pineapple notes he had never noticed before pairing weed and beer that way. He also said this combo gave him a flavor experience with those strains that he'd never had before.

Tips for Pairing Beer and Cannabis

The most important thing to remember when pairing beer and cannabis is not to go too hard, or you'll bury the flavor of both the beer and the weed. Whether you're pairing cannabis with beer, wine or food, play it safe and don't chase super-intense flavors until you've got some experience under your belt.

Our main advice for pairing weed and beer: have fun with it. It can take a while and involve plenty of experimenting and tasting, but it can be a good time with some laughs along the way, where trial and error go hand in hand until you find the beer that clicks with your favorite strain.

When Did Cannabis Beer First Appear?

This unusual combo has been around for a while. People started tasting cannabis-infused beers around the late '90s, with Germany (famous for its thousands of beer styles) at the center, and from there it spread to the rest of the world, with some big hits and a range of brewing methods, mostly in small, limited craft batches.

How Is Cannabis Beer Made?

At the time of writing, no brands mass-market beer brewed with cannabis that contains THC, the plant's best-known psychoactive compound. Instead, they use only the flower's aroma and flavor to give the beer a twist, and it usually goes in toward the end of the brewing process.

Most cannabis beer recipes use the plant's flowers. In Canada, brewers have also been experimenting with stalks and roots. Some people even say you can use the seeds, but it all depends on the recipe and the result you're after. The amazing thing about cannabis is how versatile it is, with all kinds of uses that keep surprising people, and there's still plenty left to learn about them.

What Are the Effects of Mixing Beer and Cannabis?

When you pair beer with food, the flavors end up complementing each other. With beer and cannabis there's one more thing to think about: how the psychoactive effects of the two combine. That's where pairing weed and beer gets a little trickier.

Between indicas, sativas and hybrids, cannabis strains cover a wide range of effects: some are energizing, others more relaxing. So if you're drinking a dark beer at 10% ABV, you're probably better off steering clear of heavy, potent indicas.

The best way to put together a good beer-and-cannabis pairing is to pay close attention both to the flavors of each one and to how the effects of one will balance or amplify the other.

Best Beer and Weed Pairings to Try

Jack Herer and an IPA

Jack Herer is a hybrid with serious potential for the perfect weed-and-beer pairing. It comes from Haze and Skunk genetics, a potent hybrid that hits hard and delivers spicy, fruity flavors you won't forget. Pair it with an easy-drinking IPA with well-balanced hops and around 4.5% ABV, and you can nurse a few over a laid-back afternoon or evening.

California Orange and a Brown Ale

If you're after bright citrus flavors, California Orange is your strain. It goes perfectly with the rich, malty notes of an American-style brown ale. Thanks to the social, uplifting effects of this 50/50 hybrid and the beer's easy-drinking nature, this combo is perfect for a cannabis-friendly get-together.

Sour Tangie and a Russian Imperial Stout

Looking for a fun, interesting way into beer and cannabis pairing? Imperial stouts pack a powerful flavor of their own, and the right strain can make them even better, which makes them great for discovering new flavors. Unlike more relaxing strains, Sour Tangie gets your mind going and won't put you to sleep, so it's ideal for a tasting session.

A word of advice, especially if you've never been someone who mixes cannabis and beer: always use safely and responsibly. Start low and go slow with both, and the moment the experience starts feeling too strong, stop there and pick it up another day. Alcohol can intensify the effects of THC, so less is more.

At the end of the day, what matters most is enjoying this tasty plant together with the bold flavors of one of the world's favorite drinks and having a good time.