'Joint Collaboration.' Delaware's new weed beer now available to help celebrate 4/20

If you've ever had really hoppy IPA craft beer, you may have thought it tasted like marijuana.

That's because both are from the plant family Cannabaceae, also known as the hemp family, helping to cause the mini mind game.

And if you gulp Delaware's new Joint Collaboration IPA, your taste buds will really be playing tricks on you.

It's pretty close to the real deal.

What is Joint Collaboration IPA?

The 6.5% ABV New England IPA brewed by Crooked Hammock Brewing in an exclusive collaboration with Taco Reho restaurants was made with non-cannabis-derived terpenes, named Pineapple Express by California terpenes supplier Abstrax Tech. It's named after Pineapple Express, a sativa-dominant hybrid marijuana strain with strong citrus flavors.

The beer has plenty of buzz, but perhaps not the kind you think.

The terpenes, a naturally occurring chemical compound that gives marijuana its flavor and aroma, is replicated to provide the beer with a strong marijuana flavor. Even marijuana-derived terpenes do not contain the cannabinoids that would make a drinker high from the drug and neither do the ones used by Crooked Hammock for Joint Collaboration.

While the beer is a nod to Delaware's legalization of marijuana last April, the legislation is not what allowed Crooked Hammock Director of Brewing Operations Larry Horwitz to get a little wacky with weed flavors: making beer with non-cannabis terpenes was already allowable in the state.

Marijuana terpenes, however, are not allowable because Delaware defers to federal regulations and the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau does not permit it.

Joint Collaboration IPA isn't the state's only terpene-infused brew, actually.

In 2022, Bellefonte Brewing Co. first released a line of beers called Farout Fusions with eight different varieties so far, including Mosaic Melon, Creamy Lotus, Trainwreck and Cascade Haze.

While those beers are not currently available, they are also developing a line of hard seltzers with terpenes called Bellefonte Bubbles for release this summer.

If you want to try one, its on tap at both Bellefonte Brewing locations (3605 Old Capitol Trail in Prices Corner and 1851 Marsh Road in Brandywine Hundred) as they test flavor profiles. Cans of Bellefonte Bubbles will debut May 11 at Bellefonte Brewing's eighth anniversary party, held at their original location in Prices Corner.

What does Joint Collaboration IPA tastes like?

So how much of a marijuana smell and flavor does Joint Collaboration IPA give off?

Let's be blunt: the smell from taking a whiff of the top of a pint of Joint Collaboration IPA just might be enough for a police officer to have probable cause to investigate further if your car smelled like it during a traffic stop.

And when you take that first sip, the taste is similar to burrowing your nose into a bag of bud.

The terpene extract oil dovetails with the Talus and Mosaic hops used to make the dry hopped hazy IPA, delivering the dank flavor paired with strong citrus and tropical fruit notes from the Pineapple Express.

Taco Reho chef/owner Billy Lucas, whose business partners include La Vida Hospitality own Crooked Hammock, remembers the day the beer was brewed and he smelled the terpenes for the first time. A video of his reaction is posted on their Instagram page.

"You can see my eyes just go as wide as they can," Lucas says. "I was like, 'Yeah, this is what I'm talking about.'"

Horowitz explains the effect of the terpenes: "I'm stoked about the way the terpenes not only push up the aroma, but gives it some staying power. Sometimes a beer loses a bit of that bright, fresh flavor as it ages and this one is really holding onto it."

Where to find Joint Collaboration IPA

The limited edition beer ― Crooked Hammock made about 10 U.S. barrels, which equates to 20 half barrel kegs ― officially began pouring at Taco Reho locations in Rehoboth Beach (18784 Coastal Highway) and Middletown (100 Sandhill Drive) on Friday.

It costs $8 a pour ― a reflection of the extra cost of using the pricy terpenes in the brewing process.

"It's expensive, but it's worth it in my opinion because it just makes the beer smell so beautiful," says Horowitz, who has been in the brewing industry since 1992. "After we added the terpenes to the fermenter, one of my operators turned to me and said, 'Hey, my hand smells like weed now."

The beer will be available through April 21 ― or whenever it runs out.

While it is only available on draft at the Taco Reho restaurants now, it will also be served on tap at Crooked Hammock's Rehoboth Beach and Middletown locations later this month, as well. An exact date has not yet been announced, but it will be promoted on the brewery's website and social media pages.

If the beer is well-received, it will likely be back next April and perhaps with a portion available in cans to go, Horowitz says.

Taco Reho's Joint Collaboration 4/20 celebration

The 4/20 holiday lands on a Saturday this year, which means an all-day bud bash at the twin rock 'n' roll-themed Taco Reho restaurants where Lucas serves up handcrafted tacos, burritos, nachos and more.

Both locations will be greened out for the pot party with decorations and 4/20 music playlists will be playing to harmonize with the high holiday.

From 4 to 8 p.m., vendors will be at each Taco Reho, which started as a modest food truck nearly a decade ago in Rehoboth Beach.

In Rehoboth Beach, you'll find Luckie Glass (glass blowing), The Nifty Pickle (records) and First State Skate Truck (skateboards and retail) while Middletown will host Whole Lotta Vinyls...and more (records), HurriKane Tie Dyes (tie-dye apparel), Croi an Ti Crochet (crochet lighter and bowl pouches) and Roo's Resin (rolling trays & jars).

And at both locations, Lucas has baked up something special for the 17-day promotion.

It's a limited edition pizza tostada ($10) that will be on the menu, putting Taco Bell's Mexican Pizza to shame ― a rich crunchy 'n' gooey mix of seasoned beef, refried beans, enchilada sauce, chihuahua cheese and diced tomatoes on flour tortillas, topped with slices of fresh jalapeños.

It can be purchased while dining in, via delivery or at the drive through window at each location.

Have a story idea? Contact Ryan Cormier of Delaware Online/The News Journal at rcormier@delawareonline.com or (302) 324-2863. Follow him on Facebook (@ryancormier) and X (@ryancormier).

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Terpenes give the beer a weed flavor, but you won't get high