CANNABIS BEER? NOT WHAT YOU THINK

NEW YORK -- First things first: The hemp seeds used to make Hempen Ale do
not contain tetrahydrocannabinol , the psychoactive ingredient in
marijuana. "The hemp flowers and leaves contain as much as 2 percent THC,
but the seeds do not contain any," said Steven Nordahl, brew master for
Frederick Brewing Co., in Frederick, Md., which introduced the ale to the
New York area last month. What, then, does the hemp do?

"The seeds add protein, and an earthy, slightly spicy flavor to the beer,"
said Kevin Brannon, the company's chief executive. The seeds are added to
the mash, and are purchased sterilized, so they cannot be planted to
reproduce the hemp plant, a controlled substance. "From the seeds, we get a
really frothy meringue-like head," Brannon said, "and the head retention is
incredible."

The beer is a nicely bitter brown ale, clean and crisp, with a gentle aroma
and a hoppy aftertaste. As for its head retention, at a tasting last week,
the creamy froth lasted 30 minutes.

Although brewers in Switzerland and Germany, and others in the United
States, also make hemp beer, Hempen Ale appears to be the first to be sold
in the New York market, said Jim Munson, the vice president of the Brooklyn
Brewery, its distributor.

A 12-ounce bottle costs 99 cents at Pioneer Supermarket, 289 Columbus
Avenue (near 74th Street); $1.59 at Strawberry Fields, 311 Bleecker Street
(near Grove Street); and $1.75 at Lexington Avenue Market, 859 Lexington
Avenue (near 65th Street).