Minnesota breweries can now serve THC drinks on tap. But how many will?

Cannabis laws in Minnesota continue to be singular, creating a distinctive cannabis culture and market.

The latest update makes Minnesota the first state to explicitly allow THC drinks to be served on tap like any other brewery offering, as long as any edibles served outside of packaging have all the required information on display.

The new law went into effect on July 1, with HeadFlyer Brewing in Minneapolis quickly setting up a line for draft THC beverages.

"I am interested to see if this change will give us an opportunity to expand our product lineup," Neil Miller, Headflyer's Head of Beer, tells Bring Me The News . "We have some fun ideas for limited-release flavors that we haven't produced. Testing requirements and logistics make it challenging to produce small batches, but this additional flexibility is an opportunity."

In addition to HeadFlyer, 56 Brewing in Minneapolis has jumped on the opportunity, putting its THC beverages on tap.

While THC drinks have become popular throughout the state and, in some instances, provided a lifeline for breweries coming out of the pandemic, many brewers don't foresee themselves putting their THC offerings on tap.

"We certainly see the benefit for our members," Bob Galligan, Director of Government and Industry Relations for the Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild, tells Bring Me The News, "however, only to members who wish to explore it. As things stand, very few members have decided to put it on tap."

Galligan says getting THC on tap was a priority for the Guild in this legislative session, but it's not clear how widespread it will become in practice.

"Ultimately, the primary reasons we wanted to explore it is that many of the small producers who may be interested in producing or selling these beverages may not even have a canning line," he says. "On top of that, aluminum cans are still expensive and sometimes hard to find."

Another reason for pushing for the legislation, Galligan says, is "taking away some of the stigma that THC users have faced for a century." Seeing THC drinks sold in the same manner as beer can help normalize the new THC market.

But it's not quite like flipping on a light switch. Modist Brewing in Minneapolis' North Loop is "extremely skeptical" about jumping into the fray, Head of Cannabis Business Development Andy Herzog tells Bring Me the News. The brewery assumes there could be complications, including a loss of potency.

"We don't exactly have open taps available at the brewery these days," Herzog says. "The cleaning necessary to flip from THC back to beer through the same equipment and avoid cross-contamination is extensive. Not something that could be done during operating hours... It's a nice idea in theory, but the risks and logistical challenges outweigh the savings on packaging costs."

Additionally, the lack of alcohol in THC drinks will require tap lines to be cleaned more regularly. However, brewers say that there's still a learning curve for customers new to THC edibles. The ability to offer smaller drinks, and thus smaller doses, may appeal to the THC-curious.