Lagunitas is a name that any beer drinker is familiar with. The California-based company rose into popularity as a true craft brewery from its inception in 1993 until Heineken bought a 50% share in 2015. Like many other big-name alcohol brands, Lagunitas not long ago teamed up with AbsoluteXtracts to produce cannabis-infused sparkling water. I recently got my hands on their Hi-Fi Hops Reverb Infused Sparkling Water from Smartweed in Hollywood.
The Lagunitas Brewing Company is famous for its flavorful IPAs. They also bring tongue-in-cheek humor and creativity into each of their products, such as their classic “Little Sumpin’ Ale.” The company has also never been shy about their positivity towards cannabis-use. At one point, they even came out with an “Undercover Investigation Shut-down Ale.” This was to celebrate a temporary shutdown of their brewery under false allegations of growing weed.
In 2017, Lagunitas found a way to start seriously pursuing their love for cannabis. By teaming up with their friends up the street, AbsoluteXtracts, they initially came out with two products. The first was a vape with hop terpenes, and the second, a beer brewed with cannabis terpenes. After finding out the latter was illegal, they kept searching for new innovative ways to combine beer and cannabis. Thus, Hi-Fi Hops was born.
Hi-Fi Hops is a sparkling water with zero-calories, zero-carbs, and THC & CBD from the finest locally-grown cannabis. According to the Lagunitas Brewmaster Jeremy Marshall, the Hi-Fi Hops is meant to be “a sparkling water that drinks like a beer.” This drink is supposed to give you “all of the fruity and tropical notes from the hops, but without all the other things that can weigh you down.”
Initial Taste Test
Image via @hifihops
Lagunitas and AbsoluteXtracts have three different infusions for their Hi-Fi Hops beverages: Reverb, Tuner, and Unplugged. Reverb features 10mg of THC and zero CBD. Tuner is a 1:1 with 5mg of THC/CBD. And Unplugged has 18mg of CBD with less than 2mg of THC. Smartweed in Hollywood had plenty of their Reverb drink so I went with that one.
When I cracked open the bottle, I picked up some fruity and tropical notes and took the first sip. I was immediately brought back to my IPA-loving days. First impressions, this tastes like a sparkly, citrusy IPA. Still noticeably a sparkling water, this could easily be a favorite for beer drinkers seeking alternatives. The drink had notes of grapefruit and hops, which to me is a flavor I’ve only had with beer.
Conclusions
After I took a big gulp of the Reverb Hi-Fi Hops, the hoppy flavor took over and caught me off guard because of the drink’s lack of alcohol. With the bottle’s brown color and labeling, this could easily pass for a beer at a party by the look of it alone. As someone that’s not a huge fan of drinking beer anymore, I believe this beverage firmly lands at an 8 out of 10 for me.
I see the appeal and the creativity that went into this product and I find it impressive. I found the effects to be subtle yet uplifting in combination with the tropical citrus flavors. With this product available throughout California and now Colorado, I can only see its popularity growing. Be sure to visit the Hi-Fi Hops website to learn more about Lagunitas’ and AbsoluteXtracts’ other innovative beverages.
