Cannabidiol, better known as CBD, is all the rage for its purported health benefits, and it comes in many forms that can be used to make everything from candy to baked goods to pizza.
Now, Flying Basset Brewing in Gilbert has released Arizona’s first CBD isolate-infused beer, which it has named Charlie, Bravo, Delta Blonde.
First, the facts:Â Cannabis, or marijuana, is derived from the hemp plant, which contains more than 100 different cannabinoids, the two best-known being THC and CBD.
To oversimplify a bit, THC is what gets users ‘‘high,’’ while CBD is not intoxicating. CBD, however, is credited with many medicinal benefits, including relief from pain, anxiety, insomnia, and nausea.
‘‘I have seen the benefits of CBD through observing my 70-plus-year-old mother, who has sleeping and joint issues like so many people do,’’ says Sara Cotton, a nurse who founded Flying Basset with her husband, pilot Rob Gagnon, just over a year ago.
‘‘I, being a skeptic from 15 years of Western, traditional, critical-care medicine, was impressed with my mother’s reports. Many of our customers report using CBD on a daily basis for a variety of ailments.’’
To brew the blonde ale (5.3% ABV), Flying Basset used all-natural CBD isolate, the purest form of the cannabidiol. (Also, the more common oil form of CBD would take the foam head off a beer.)
‘‘I have read of very few other breweries throughout the U.S. that have made CBD-infused beer due to stipulations from the government at that time,’’ Cotton says. ‘‘Since then, CBD has become a more widely accepted treatment for many ailments.
‘‘We do not say that CBD cures anything, but are giving those the option to try it in a beer.’’
Flying Basset, located on the northeast corner of Cooper and Ray, is selling pints of Charlie, Bravo, Delta for $10. Each pint has 4.2 milligrams of CBD. (The typical starting dose for chronic pain relief is 3-5 milligrams.)
The beer is only available on tap at the brewery. Cotton says it’s been selling well, with customers driving from as far away as the West Valley to try it.
‘‘We made a 10-barrel batch and are on the second keg after Day One,’’ she says. ‘‘At this rate, it should be gone in just over a week. If the demand is that great, we will make it again.’’
