Known for its premium cannabis flower grown in beautiful Duncan, British Columbia, Broken Coast is now serving up beer in the U.S. — but no, it doesn’t have any cannabis in it.
Thirsty for the US
The beer is the product of a collaboration between the Tilray-owned cannabis brand and SweetWater, an Atlanta-based craft brewer which was snapped up by Aphria last year (who then merged with Tilray), and appears to be its path into the U.S. market.
“I’m extremely proud of the Broken Coast BC Lager, and developing it with brewmaster Mark Medlin has been an incredibly inspiring and a unique process,” said head grower and founder Kevin Anderson in a statement. “For both brands to come together to create a first of its kind partnership and for Broken Coast to break into the U.S. market is an exciting time for us.”
(If you want, revisit our conversation with Kevin Anderson from a few months back.)
The strategy
It reminds us of a similar brand play in Canada. Before legalization in 2018, cannabis brand San Rafael ‘71 launched 4:20 Pale Ale, a beer made in partnership with Amsterdam Brewing. It was an effort to develop brand recognition among non-medical cannabis consumers through the beer but also through advertising of the cannabis-themed product to adult-use consumers, according to Strategy. Its tagline was “Beer today, bong tomorrow.”
What’s next
SweetWater Broken Coast BC Lager is now available in select bars across the U.S., according to the press release. Beginning July 12, find six-packs at select retailers.
