Corona’s parent company is spending $4 billion on Canadian weed

Constellation, which owns brands like Corona and Modelo, already invested $191 million into Canopy last October. But with the purchase of 104.5 million Canopy shares at a 51.2% premium to Tuesday’s stock closing price, the most recent deal increases Constellation’s ownership of the cannabis company from 9.9% to 38%.

Quartz.com (qz.com), Aug. 15, 2018

Corona’s parent company is spending $4 billion on Canadian weed

Also, Forbes, Aug. 5, 2018 - Beer Makers Wanting To Cash In On Legal Marijuana Are Ditching Alcohol.

I like beer. The Quartz article says that Millennials are ditching beer and "opt[ing] for wine and spirits instead".

This has been kind of building on its own over the past ten years. Big Beer running around and buying up craft beer makers because they missed the craft beer boat and want in on the money train. Lots of good beer has fallen to mediocre as a result. And Big Beer keeps on churning along.

With Canada going legal in October, is this Big Beer not wanting to miss the next new cash flow and being proactive? Or does it look like crass corporations trying to establish market brand names in the up coming Green Rush?

I mean, 9.9% to 38% is a large jump. I want to give the benefit of the doubt.

Me, I feel it is later. I don't need MJ in my beer as there are already ways to ingest it! Like beer isn't expensive enough (I mean real, live beer, using real grain, not rice or sugar). Add in extracts... why???

Full disclosure: I am a homebrewer and already made a "HighPA ale" years ago. Meh.

a reply to: TEOTWAWKIAIFF

Legal drugs are big business. Time to diversify as weed takes over some of the current legal drug marketshare while simultaneously growing the overall market..

Its just money man.
We all knew the big players would jump onboard after the grassroots politics loosened up the playing field.

Now they will lobby government to keep out smaller growers through saftey regulations..

Of course I would rather give beer companies money than human trafficking gangs.

And it is not just "weed" but also CBD oil.

I can see an issue with CBD oil. Hops already is an oil (you are putting hop buds in wort to boil for an hour or so). When you add something that also has oil, like chocolate, or coffee, the beer tends have the oils cancel each other out resulting in a flat beer. Doesn't mean it does not taste bad, it is just lacking the foamy goodness that beer is supposed to provide.

I personally do not want to drink a flat beer that taste like grass (and I don't mean weed! It really does taste like a mouth full of grass after mowing the lawn! Not that I have ever put a handful of lawn clippings in my mouth!!). Something happened during fermentation where that grass flavor persisted.

I have sampled a hemp beer at the local bar and it is not bad. But then again, it has "that" flavor but not the THC buzz. Good as a sleep aid! Worth a try. Not really my cup of tea.

Sheesh. How come everything sounds like a wink-wink, nudge-nudge to pot??

a reply to: TEOTWAWKIAIFF

Haha my post is full of puns too.

It's for non drinkers, so they can have some beverages and catch a different buzz.
Edibles and drinkable are coming legal after the plain ol thc, sometime in 2019 I think.

a Canadian cannabis producer, to design a line of non-alcoholic and pot-infused beverages.

I'm thinking they'll have to keep them really mild, or a person would be all finished after just a couple of these new brews.

I'm not sure, but I think they've made it illegal here to mix the alcohol with the pot, unless you're doing it yourself ( homemade). 🤔

While reading the Forbes article I saw this

Canadian brewers also seem to understand that the combination of alcohol and cannabis is bad idea. Ontario-based Province Brands has designed the first-ever beer made entirely from the cannabis plant. The beverage “is brewed from the stalks, stem and roots of the cannabis plant” rather than barley, like traditional beers. This too is a non-alcoholic concoction that comes packed with around 6.5 milligrams of THC.

6.5 sounds ok, if the make a flavour like root beer, it'll be even better

a reply to: Reverbs

Oh yeah, gangs. Forgot about that. Thanks!

The Forbes article says that some places are putting bans on selling alcohol and any pot derived food product in the same store! That is to keep pot beer from being sold. Sounds like unintended consequences down the road.

I say let the taps open! Quarks all 'round!! Let the little guys in. It is all a party and watch people mellow and enjoy life a few minutes! Who cares if you don't make all the money? But I am hippy like that!



a reply to: snowspirit

Thanks for the reply! I think you guys are approaching this in a better manner than the piecemeal method we in the states are. Glad that some forethought went into your legalization!

Root beer? Go whole hog... Taco Bell!!

Man, if sewer rat tasted like pumpkin pie...

a reply to: snowspirit

A low level thc content with no or little alcohol would be such a perfect social drink.. you coukd really build into it rather than consuming a dose all at once..

Thats my favorite thing about beer over other alcohol types.

And Bayer/Monsanto is positioning itself.

If it is ever widely legalized it's good to know corporations will be controlling and make the income, not average farming folk. A handful of small medical growers doesn't do much for the small guys.

Keep it illegal.

Good! Perhaps when the beer and liquor industries acquire a bit larger share, they will stop lobbying against marijuana and let us all enjoy the less dangerous drug.

as long as only 5 people own the entire industry and everyone they pay only makes 17 an hour I'll be happy

oh and create so many regulations no small companies can get into the market

6.5 ... damm so its going to take 10 ether way ... maby 5 and 5 mix things up

originally posted by: snowspirit
Edibles and drinkable are coming legal after the plain ol thc, sometime in 2019 I think.

Never mind.

a reply to: TEOTWAWKIAIFF

Never could get the effect with edibles or beverages...gotta use the flower and the flame and the breath, the way God intended.

a reply to: DictionaryOfExcuses


The Big Beer guys see multiple streams of income: the THC real deal MJ; the non-THC CBD oils from weed and hop's cousin, hemp; then the beverage industry for both products.

I don't know about any place else but just setting up a brewery for just beer is a PITA. The inspection has a six month or more waiting list. And if they find anything wrong, back to the end of the line. That means if your drain is 2mm too small for your capacity, see you in ten or more months! I would think weed processing would be similar but different (security, EPA, zoning, etc). Hemp has just been cleared here in AK to be treated like a plant! And you still have to go on some TLA list for just growing a plant! I guess it will take a significant amount of investment, so shouldn't be so mean to Big Beer.

But spending green to make green to turn into green has already been industrialized by Big Beer! And it isn't even October!

Couple gummy bears or ninja stars dissolved into some hot cinnamon whisky. Trailer park party drink...do the monkey dance!!

ThC in beer sounds a little tame.

a reply to: olaru12

Yeah it kinda is! (And as Anheiser-Bush knows, beer has a limited shelf life).

But Big Beer is looking at the market like energy drinks. Which was my whole complaint.

It is like Motley Crue injecting alcohol... what is the point?? You can just drink it (or smoke it, or butter, or brownies...)

Anyway, yet again, the little guy is screwed at the price of big business. I find that

originally posted by: DictionaryOfExcuses
a reply to: TEOTWAWKIAIFF

Never could get the effect with edibles or beverages...gotta use the flower and the flame and the breath, the way God intended.

Same here. Wasted a lot of money before realizing the flower was perfect by itself.

Now to figure out why? Do you have any clues?

a reply to: ClovenSky

Basically, because nature makes what nature needs, and human hubris always steps in to reinvent the wheel?

originally posted by: ClovenSky

originally posted by: DictionaryOfExcuses
a reply to: TEOTWAWKIAIFF

Never could get the effect with edibles or beverages...gotta use the flower and the flame and the breath, the way God intended.

Same here. Wasted a lot of money before realizing the flower was perfect by itself.

Now to figure out why? Do you have any clues?

Smoking goes almost directly into the blood stream.
Once people get used to smoking any substance it will very likely be their prefered method..

Im sure you can think of some examples.

But for the strongest its oral just much more of it..
Not as fast or efficient or as easy..

And by the way its the same decarboxylation whatever the heat source..

Check this conspiracy theory out....


Pharma CEO - "Do you guys have any news for me as to how we can rob the cancer patients of the world by inventing a cure for cancer and then charging them more money than they could ever make in their lives for a disease that we caused?"

Research guy - "Yes. I have to say that if you really want that, we can do it. There's just one problem. We can't make money on it. You see. If they can't pay for it, we don't get money. Unfortunately"

CEO - "OK. You got any more bright ideas, Mr smarty pants?'

Research guy - "Yep. This is a good one. We found a plant that makes people paranoid. We can pay the government to outlaw this plant so people believe there must be something amazing about this plant. And we persecute the people who make themselves paranoid with this plant for a few decades until people are absolutely convinced the paranoid plant cures everything! Right? Then we get the government to tell everybody they were right all along and this plant cures everything!"

CEO - "OK. And then what? How does this cure cancer?"

Research guy - "It doesn't have to! It makes people paranoid AND stupid! We can sell them plants and tell them we're curing them and they'll believe us!"

CEO - "That's pretty #ing mean, dude! Let's do it!"