PBR Introduces A Cannabis-Infused Seltzer

There’s little doubt by now that there’s a demand for legal cannabis. By one estimate, the global market could even surpass $19 billion this year. 

With so much consumer demand, firms outside of the cannabis space have taken notice - Molson Coors continues to invest in the realm of cannabis, and Lagunitas has experimented with cannabinoids and hops-infused sparkling waters. But for the most part, alcohol has given cannabis a wide berth, in part due to the kind herb’s legal status across the U.S. 

One brewer, however, came up with a novel approach—spin-off a skunkworks cannabis team and license your brand to them for free, which is how Pabst Labs, based in California, came to exist.

Pabst doesn’t brew the THC-infused lemon seltzer, nor does it have any stake in Pabst Labs, but the licensing deal does allow the brand to dip a toe into the weed-infused waters without risking the ire of the killjoys in the U.S. government. Each can contains 5mg of psychoactive THC and only 25 calories and zero alcohol. Five milligrams might not seem like much, but when in liquid form, the onset is fast and the buzz much shorter when compared to food edibles, and about as potent as a beer.

The can’s labels and case packaging feature Pabst’s signature blue ribbon, but otherwise is visually more akin to sparkling water than beer. The design is light and airy and on-point for sparkling water with a little weed in it.

Pabst Labs Sparkling Water is available now from select dispensaries in California.