Former Blue Moon Brewmaster Rolls Out New Cannabis Beer
*By Samantha Errico*
What this drink lacks in booze, it makes up in bud.
Former Blue Moon brewmaster Keith Villa has entered the marijuana industry by creating a cannabis-crafted beer.
"An opportunity like this only comes around once in a blue moon," Villa joked to Cheddar Wednesday.
As more states push for marijuana legalization, the famed beer-maker and his wife Jodi created CERIA to introduce a line of non-alcoholic craft beverages infused with THC.
CERIA's Grainwave, a Belgian-style white ale with THC, hit Colorado dispensaries last Friday and sold out in just one day. Each 10 oz. bottle contains five mg of THC; two bottles is a standard serving and each Grainwave goes for approximately $9 per bottle.
"In this space, I don't think anyone's ever created a brand from that ground-up specifically for cannabis beer," Villa said.
In compliance with the Colorado Retail Marijuana Code, companies are prohibited from mixing alcohol and marijuana. Therefore, to be considered as non-alcoholic, CERIA filters its alcohol content to a level below .5 ABV (alcohol by volume).
CERIA created "the taste of a great beer with the effects of cannabis," Villa said.
Consumers must be at least 21-years-old to purchase the product, and all CERIA bottles are child-proof.
Villa assured viewers that a American Light Lager and an IPA would follow the Grainwave in the first half of 2019. The upcoming year will also mark CERIA's expansion into California and Nevada.
"And then after that to every state where it is legal," Villa said.
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/the-booze-free-thc-infused-craft-beer-hitting-colorado-shelves).
An independent watchdog within the IRS reports that while taxpayer services have vastly improved, the agency is still too slow to resolve identity theft cases. And National Taxpayer Advocate Erin Collins says those delays are “unconscionable.” Erin M. Collins said in the report released Wednesday that overall the 2024 filing season went smoothly, though IRS delays in resolving identity theft victim assistance cases are worsening. It took nearly 19 months to resolve self-reported identity theft cases as of January, and Wednesday's report states that now it takes 22 months to resolve these cases.
Amazon.com Inc. surpassed $2 trillion in market value for the first time in afternoon trading on Wednesday. The push higher for Amazon’s stock market valuation comes a little more than a week after Nvidia hit $3 trillion and briefly became the most valuable company on Wall Street. Nvidia’s chips are used to power many AI application and its valuation has soared as a result. Amazon has also been making big investments in AI as global interest has grown in the technology. Most of the company’s focus has been on business-focused products.