CBD drinks (drinks that are infused with cannabidiol) are relatively new on the market, but have been growing in popularity pretty steadily over the last few years. They incorporate the same benefits that many experience from ingesting CBD oils - helping with anxiety, aches and pains and aiding in falling asleep.
Don’t worry if you’ve never tried one before! They’re perfectly safe and rigorously tested - they wouldn’t be growing in popularity if they weren’t, right? And the CBD drink family is growing every day - you can find wide varieties, such as those infused with cold-brew coffee, beer and more!
But, we get it - they’re still quite new on the market and you probably have plenty of questions. Maybe you want to dive into more detail about what CBD drinks actually are? Maybe you want more information on the effects of CBD-infused drinks. Or perhaps you want some recommendations of which ones you could start with and what to look for when you’re shopping for CBD drinks?
If you answered yes to any of those questions, you’re in the right place - we’ve got answers to all of them and more coming right up, starting with: what is a CBD drink anyway?
What is a CBD drink?
CBD drinks can be both alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages that have been infused with cannabidiol (CBD) - a non-psychoactive compound found within the hemp plant. They carry all the same benefits as other CBD products on the market - like CBD oils and supplements - but can be an easier (and tastier) way to get your CBD.
You can find a wide variety of CBD drinks on the market today that serve different purposes. You can grab a CBD-infused energy drink for a quick boost of energy, a CBD-infused cold-brew coffee for a chilled (in more ways than one) taste experience, or you can pick up one of our very own Cannabrew beers or ciders for a great tasting CBD and alcohol mix.
How are CBD drinks made?
Most CBD drinks are manufactured in different ways, but they all have one thing in common: sourcing the very best and most responsibly sourced CBD. So, what better way to outline the process for you in more detail than describing the very one that we use at Cannabrew?
We go above and beyond at Cannabrew to ensure that every ingredient that goes into our drinks is responsibly sourced and top-quality. And that all starts with where we get our CBD. We’ve travelled the world to source the very best hemp supplier that we could - and boy, did we find a corker!
We found an independent producer nestled in the dramatic hills of Colorado’s mountains and decided that this was the perfect source for our CBD. The real kicker for us was Colorado’s incredibly high standards of health and safety surrounding the growing, storage and transport of CBD. Throw in some startlingly good sustainability credentials and we knew we’d found the right supplier for us.
Next, we make sure that the CBD that we use is rigorously tested by GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice), Shelf Stability Evaluation and ISO (quality assurance management). All of the beer and cider that we make is also fully Safe And Local Supplier (SALSA) certified. We don’t cut corners here.
We also source the finest home-grown hops from right here in the UK. Interestingly, cannabis and hop plants come from the same family that diverged about 27million years ago. And now, we’re bringing them back together for the ultimate family reunion.
Finally, let’s take a moment to discuss sustainability in more detail - a hugely important issue for us and our friends within the CBD drinks community.
At Cannabrew, we take every step we can to ensure that we’re giving back more than we take from the environment. We have ensured that all of our packaging is now 100% recyclable and we ship all of our leftover hops and malts directly to our local farmers so that they can use it as fertiliser. And, if that wasn’t enough, for every case of our beer or cider that we sell, we plant 2 trees!
The CBD drinks community is all about giving back.
Effects of CBD drinks
CBD has several positive effects that may still be experienced when added to beverages. They can help to reduce anxiety, manage perceptions of aches and pains to help you relax and can even assist with sleep - calming you to bed down for the night.
CBD drinks may reduce anxiety
Whether you feel anxious entering social situations, or struggle with anxiety for other reasons, even a small dose of CBD can help you tackle anxiety, feel more comfortable and feel more like yourself.
Our Cannabrew products all contain 15mg of CBD, which is the perfect amount to take the edge off your anxiety and help you feel calmer and more relaxed. If you struggle with social situations lately, try a can of our Soul Lager before you head to the pub and you may well feel that much calmer and happier.
CBD drinks might help with pain management
This is the reason that our founder, Elliot, decided to start Cannabrew in the first place. As a semi-pro rugby player, while he loved the game, he found himself getting thrashed around quite a bit - and developed some lasting aches and pains all over his body as a result.
It was then that he discovered the remarkable effects that cannabidiol can have on pain management. It has a remarkable effect on the brain - acting as an analgesic by stimulating the production of other chemicals in the brain like serotonin and anandamide, which can help reduce pain and inflammation.
CBD is also a pretty powerful antioxidant, which is super beneficial for living a healthy, natural lifestyle and reducing inflammation even more!
CBD drinks may help you get a better night’s sleep
Just as CBD can help you feel more relaxed in a social environment, so too can it help you tackle insomnia by putting you in a state of relaxation before bed and making it easier for you to drop off for the night.
In fact, some of our drinkers have even reported that CBD can help reduce the effects of a hangover by letting you get a better sleep after a heavy one… though this isn’t strictly proven yet - and, of course, we would always urge you to be drinking responsibly!
CBD is all-natural
Finally, CBD is an all-natural product. It is rigorously tested to the highest standards and, though it does indeed come from the hemp plant, it will not get you high. It’s simply a natural product that can benefit your body and your mind in a number of ways.
Types of CBD drinks available
As we’ve discussed, there are several different types of CBD drinks available on the market right now, so let’s get into it:
Alcoholic CBD drinks
Obviously our favourite - wouldn’t be very good producers of CBD alcoholic drinks if they weren’t, would we! At Cannabrew, you can enjoy our small (but growing) range of CBD drinks that include our Soul lager, Sesh IPA and our Cloud hard cider.
Naturally, there are several other manufacturers spread all over the UK (though we’re the best, duh!) that produce CBD beer and more. Hell, if you’re feeling creative, you could even try your hand at making one or two delicious CBD cocktails - just remember to drink responsibly, folks!
Non-alcoholic CBD beer
Of course there are non-alcoholic versions of CBD beer as well! Our friends over at Hop & Hemp make a couple of corkers, so if you’re T-total or simply want to cut down your alcohol consumption while enjoying the refreshing and relaxing taste of a CBD beer, we would totally recommend you check them out!
Flavoured CBD drinks
Our friends over at Trip have got the recipe down when it comes to flavoured drinks infused with a dash of CBD to calm your body and your mind. With flavours ranging from peach & ginger, to lemon & basil and mint & elderflower, these pack a tasty punch.
What to look for in CBD drinks
When you’re looking for your first CBD drinks - or just reputable sources - we’d advise you check out a few things that should be CLEARLY outlined on the website of the manufacturer.
Firstly, how much CBD (in mg) is in each can of CBD drink. For example, our Cannabrew products all contain a cool 15mg of CBD infusion.
Second, where is the CBD from (our is from Colorado) and how rigorously is it tested for safety. Information on this should be available on the site - including the accreditation the products have received from relevant authorities.
Lastly, this isn’t a dealbreaker for some - but for us it is! We would urge you to buy your CBD drinks from manufacturers who take sustainability seriously (like us!). We’ve only got one planet after all, so let’s make it last, eh?
Try your first CBD drink today
Hopefully we’ve answered all of your questions around CBD drinks. We’ve covered what they are, how they’re made, what they’re effects are on your body and some different varieties that you can try right now!
If you’ve still got some questions, please feel free to check out one of our handy FAQ pages for all of your questions answered on CBD beer, cider and CBD infused drinks in general.
In fact, why not hop (get it?) over to our store and pick yourself up a mixed case of CBD infused drinks right now? This is definitely the best way to ease yourself into our selection of alcoholic CBD drinks - a stellar mix of our Soul lager, Sesh IPA and Cloud cider all in one delectable box to make your taste buds tingle and your mind and body relax.
Just remember to drink responsibly - and have a chill time.