A New Brew

HEMP BEER IS HIP - BUT IS IT ANY GOOD?

The crowd is young, hip and thirsty. But there is plenty of cold beer
around and the spirits are, um, high, especially when the word gets
out that the brew is made with hemp - marijuana's non-psychoactive
cousin. Despite the rowdy comments about getting stoned, this is not a
seedy bar in a back alley, but the respected Salon of Taste in Turin,
a gourmet fest organized last October by Slow Food, a worldwide
organization promoting healthy eating. Here the message in the bottle
is that since hemp is rich in nutrients and essential fatty acids,
beer containing this fibrous plant is good for what ales you.

It is also controversial. The hemp used in the beer has a very low
narcotic content, but because the plant is of the same species as
marijuana some governments prohibit its cultivation. In other
countries laws are slowly changing, allowing the import of the beer
and other drinks and foods containing hemp extracts, provided that the
percentage of thc - the ingredient responsible for the "high" -
remains within the 0.2% limit imposed by the European Union in 2002.

Now several small European breweries are capitalizing on the more
liberal attitudes. One, the Genuine Beer Company in Mendrisio,
Switzerland, which distributes the slightly sweet tasting Hanf-blute
Beer, is conquering new markets, including traditionally
wine-producing ones like Italy. "It is a very good beer and there is a
big demand for it," explains Paolo Codoni, the company's ceo. "In
countries where hemp is forbidden, the beer is a novelty." Although
hemp beer remains a niche product, it's popularity is growing
throughout Europe. But does drinking hemp beer make you high? "No,"
says Buddy Piper, whose Amsterdam shop, Nirvana, sells its own hemp
brew. "But it definitely can make you drunk.