Beer has been beset upon by competition over the last decade. Foremost among them have been THC drinks that take advantage of a (scheduled to close) loophole that bring modest highs in a legalized national landscape. There's also been the rise of hop waters, a carbonated, zero calorie sip that brings hazy IPA flavors in a thinner, hydrating experience.
Fabric decided to harness the power of both. Its Australian hop fizz combines Aussie galaxy hops with light fruit and earthy flavors to give a THC (or CBD, or CBG) infused beverage that lands halfway between a seltzer and a beer. Those flavors have a distinct artisan feel, like a cocktail for which you're about to pay entirely too much. Lemongrass. Pearl lime. Lemon myrtle.
I'm not above a little
hop water snobbery, however. And I appreciate the kind of THC drink that can dull the sharp edges of my intrusive thoughts and help me get some sleep. Let's see what we've got.
THC infused beverage with orange peel, pearl lime and galaxy hops: B
Well, this is slightly awkward. There's no flavor or brand extension on the label. Any of the labels. So I've got to just identify them by ingredients. And this one comes with 1.5 milligrams of THC, five of CBG and 25 of CBD.
It pours with a potent fizz that quickly dies down to a gentle current. The smell off the top is citric acid and bitter hops, which makes me feel better about not adding ice to this. Though a friend's father put me on to iced Coors Lights a few years back and I'll admit, I'm not above drinking like a retiree when the moment strikes.
The first sip is much fruitier than the smell suggests. It's tart orange up front, with lime coming in to add another layer of sourness to it. There isn't much sweet to balance it off, but you get some bitter hops to wrap up a "we made a really weird hazy IPA" vibe. With no malt and zero calories, it comes off as light, dry and crisp.
It's a departure from the typical THC seltzer or soda. It's not as hoppy as hop water, but it's a reasonable beer replacement.
CBG with lemongrass, desert lime and galaxy hops: A
OK, so the theme seems to be a) fruit-adjacent thing that's not as good as fruit b) special lime and c) Australian hops. This one comes with 10 milligrams of CBG, which should work as a relaxing effect without any attached high.
It pours clear and bubbly, with a steady stream of carbonation popping off the top as you bring it to your lips. It smells like light hops and is much less potent than (checks name)... uh, the drink above this one.
The lemongrass and lime come off crisp and slightly sweet. The hops cleans it up with sharp, slightly bitter dryness. It's very refreshing -- balanced, a little juicy but clean enough to keep it from lingering on your tongue too long. The hops don't overpower that citrus, taking a background role rather than overpowering it.
It's incredibly easy to drink and would be great on a warm day. I'm sipping it on a rainy night in hopes it will put me to sleep. And it does have me drowsy and ready for bed -- not quite fuzzy, but optimistic about my chances of getting to sleep within 30 minutes of my head hitting the pillow. I didn't, but that's more about my brain than any specific fault of Fabric.
THC and CBD with blackberry, lemon myrtle and galaxy hops : B
Finally, a proper 10 milligram dose of THC (and CBD). And blackberry/lemon hop water sounds pretty great. I'm excited about this one!
The smell off the top is faint, pleasant berries. It's more bitter and hoppy than the lemongrass/lime, giving it the most IPA feeling of the trio. It's a bit harsh if you're not a pale ale person, harkening back to the tongue scorching days of the mid-2000s when any finance bro could start a microbrewery and woo some suburban dads.
It's slightly juicy and finishes dry. It gets a bit less hoppy as it goes. It delivers the promised THC, helping me drift off to sleep about 30 minutes after finishing the can.
Would I drink it instead of a Hamm's?
This a pass/fail mechanism where I compare whatever I’m drinking to my baseline cheap beer. That’s the standby from the land of sky-blue waters, Hamm’s. So the question to answer is: on a typical day, would I drink Fabric's infused hop waters over a cold can of Hamm’s?
After having a couple Hamm's, I'd switch to Fabric at the end of the night. It satisfies your beer ritual while hydrating and, for me, helps some relaxation settle in before bed. Plus, it tastes pretty good, too.
This is part of FTW’s Beverage of the Week series. Here, we mostly chronicle and review beers, but happily expand that scope to any beverage that pairs well with sports. Yes, even cookie dough whiskey.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Fabric hop fizz is a proper half-step between THC and beer
