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Does cannabis isomerize when boiled?

Ringodoggie

Well-known member
Premium user
I want to brew some cannabis beer. However, everything I have read leads to the same thing.... make regular beer and then add tincture. Big deal, I can do that to my Budweiser.

I have read several reasons why adding cannabis (flowers) to your boil is bad. First, it tastes like shit. LOL

And, second, the cannabis oils don't mix with wort (water).

However, hops is the same way. The oils in hops wouldn't normally mix with the water but the boil isomerizes it so it will mix with the water. At least that's the way I am understanding it.

The hops is introduced into the beer and releases the alpha acids to add bitterness. It takes away from the sweetness of the malt. A balance. I don't know if cannabis would add bitterness or not. Which terps and canabinoids are bitter? Any? Any Alpha Acids in Cannabis? I only found 4 or 5 Alpha Acids.

Alpha acids (α acids) are a class of chemical compounds primarily of importance to the production of beer. They are found in the resin glands of the flowers of the hop plant and are the source of hop bitterness. Alpha acids may be isomerized to form iso-alpha acids by the application of heat in solution.

Plus, the hops is a preservative. Is cannabis (in this use)?

So, maybe use hops AND cannabis. The cannabis would have to be decarbed.

I would probably add the cannabis early in the boil and the hops later. The longer the hops is in the boil, the more bitter the beer.

I am a newb to brewing so I may be wrong on some accounts here.

Has anyone tried decarb'd flowers in the boil rather than tincture?

And, to ask the original question... does cannabis isomerize during boiling and will it mix with the wort?

I am going to do a new batch this week and I may try this. I do 1 gallon runs. Maybe an ounce in 1 gallon???? That's about 2 to 3 grams per beer if I get 10 to 12 beers from a gallon. Not very strong for me but probably OK for my friends who are lightweights.




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Ringodoggie

Well-known member
Premium user
Thanks. That is one of the guides that says to make plain beer and add tincture.

Here was an interesting read...

6.3 Isomerization ~
The potency of marijuana can be increased by about 50% simply by simmering a water slurry of the material for 2 hours. Add water as necessary to maintain the level. Cool and filter the mixture, and refrigerate the aqueous solution. Dry the leaf material at low heat. Drink the tea before smoking the marijuana. The effects are much more intense and last longer than those from the untreated leaves. The boiling water treatment isomerizes the inactive CBD, and decarboxylates THCA to THC.


https://www.hempbasics.com/hhusb/hh6thc.htm




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