New Cannabis-Infused Beer Headquarters In Arvada

ARVADA, CO -- Arvada, a town with a moratorium on recreational and medical cannabis, will be the site of the headquarters of a new THC-infused non-alcoholic craft beer company, CERIA BEVERAGES. Local resident Keith Villa was creator of Blue Moon Brewing, a company the "kickstarted the mainstream craft beer movement," said partner Jon Cooper, CEO of cannabinoid research firm ebbu. The other co-founder is his wife Jodi Villa, a civil engineer who will serve as CEO. The two live in Arvada.

"CERIA derives its name from the university campus in Brussels, Belgium, where Keith became one of the few people in the world to receive a doctorate in brewing science based upon his dissertation on complex biochemical reactions in beer," the company said in a press statement.

The company's beer will have the alcohol removed and use cannabis formulas which can be delivered in specific doses in a water-soluble format, a statement from the company said.

These cannabis formulations – containing THC and other cannabinoids and terpenes – will be processed and infused by licensed marijuana processors, bottled and/or canned on-site by the licensee, and then sold chilled in licensed dispensaries, first in Colorado, then in other states where the use of recreational marijuana is legal.

The beer will be offered in legalized cannabis states by year's end in three strengths – light, regular, and full-bodied. "Consumers must be a minimum age of 21 and use the product responsibly," a statement said. The other good news? because there's no alcohol, the new beer will be less fattening.

Villa retired from his position as head brewmaster of Blue Moon and MolsonCoors in January.

“When Keith created Blue Moon in 1995, the cloudy, unfiltered Belgian-style beer that would later be served with an orange slice, he in effect, introduced craft beer to the mainstream American beer drinker. It changed the beer industry and was even a question on the TV game show ‘Jeopardy,’” said Jodi Villa in a press release. The Villas, both graduated from University of Colorado and are Colorado natives.

There's no name for the new brand yet, the company said.

Because the cannabis extract will be added to beer at the manufacturer in states where pot is legalized, the new company does not need to apply for a recreational or medical dispensary license in the city of Arvada.

Image via Ceria Beverages