Skip to main content

New Belgium Releases a Dank New Beer Called the Hemperor HPA

new belgium brewing hemporer hpa
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Hemp beers are nothing new. Craft breweries — especially west of the Mississippi — have been making hemp beers for years. However, these brews are not typically found beyond each brewery’s market, leaving the rest of the country searching for beers that have qualities similar to that of cannabis.  Now, though, Colorado’s New Belgium Brewing is working to change that with its new release: The Hemperor HPA, an ale made with hemp that will be distributed nationwide by summer 2018.

Recommended Videos

As we said, plenty of craft breweries have done hemp beers before, but not many made it into wide distribution (Humboldt Brewing’s Hemp Ale being one of the few). For a company with international marketing such as New Belgium, the push to make Hemperor was to showcase cannabis-like flavors and aromas as much as it was to bring awareness to a crop that is underappreciated and underutilized thanks to government regulations, according to Ross Koenigs, New Belgium’s research and development brewer.

“This beer has been over two years in the making, most of the time spent learning and reacting to laws that really suppress this crop’s usage,” Koenigs said. “Due to misinformed laws governing the use of industrial hemp, we had to take a creative and long-winding road to get to this point. We’re happy with where we landed, and we’ll be working to change federal regulation so that one day we can brew The Hemperor HPA with hemp flowers and leaves as we originally envisioned.”

Fun fact: Hemp generates higher revenue per acre than other crops thanks to farmers’ ability to use multiple parts of the plant. It has also been an integral part of U.S. history. Not only was Henry Ford’s Model T designed to run on hemp fuel, but the first American flag and early paper money were both made from hemp. But enough about the government — back to the beer.

new belgium brewing hemporer hpa case
Image used with permission by copyright holder

An ale that weighs in at 7 percent ABV, Hemperor HPA is brewed using Pale, White Wheat, and Midnight Wheat malts and hemp hearts (the meat of the hemp seed, sans shell). The beer is then dry-hopped with Simcoe and experimental HBC 522 hops to create a dank-as-f*ck aroma balanced by a sweet, mildly bitter finish.

Hemp leaves and flowers are restricted from use, hence why New Belgium resorted to using other parts of the plant that would create that distinctive aroma (caused by compounds called terpenes). Because the leaves and flowers are not used, there is no t etrahydrocannabinolor (THC) or cannabidiol (CBD) in the beer.

The Hemperor HPA will be available on draft starting April 2 and will be out in 12-ounce bottles nationwide starting in late May.

If you want to learn more about hemp (or the regulatory process that governs hemp and hemp products), you can visit The Hemperor HPA’s website. In addition, New Belgium has partnered with GCH Inc. (which was founded by Willie Nelson) to raise awareness for the Hemp 4 Victory campaign. One dollar from every barrel of The Hemperor HPA sold will be donated to Hemp 4 Victory in support of its mission to raise awareness and promote pro-hemp bills in the U.S House of Representatives and Senate.

Sam Slaughter
Sam Slaughter was the Food and Drink Editor for The Manual. Born and raised in New Jersey, he’s called the South home for…
Blue Moon goes big with new release
A heftier ale on shelves now
Beer next to sunglasses

Blue Moon has officially dropped a high-octane beer. The release, aptly-named Blue Moon Extra, is available in 19.2-ounce cans and comes in at 8% ABV. That's a pretty big jump from the original, sitting at 5.4% ABV.

It's an interesting take from a label known for its lighter, refreshing flagship beer. And it comes at a time when a lot of producers are focusing on lower-alcohol and non-alcoholic options. But it's not completely going against the grain.

Read more
Elysian Brewing releases Phaze Dust IPA beer
A big hazy IPA from a PNW producer
Phaze Dust IPA.

Seattle-based Elysian Brewing is staying in the lane of craft IPA beer with its latest offering. The brewery just released Phaze Dust IPA, a heavy-hitting hazy. It follows Elysian's other sibling beers, the Space Dust IPA and Juice Dust Juicy IPA.

It's yet another IPA with a big personality from the Pacific Northwest brewery. Space Dust started the trend back in 2012 and it has done on to become one of the best-selling IPAs in the nation. Phaze Dust comes in a vibrant can outfitted with a giant cartoon hop on it.

Read more
Ferment Brewing releases new year-round west coast IPA
A new west coast IPA in a luminous can
Ferment Brewing Bright West IPA.

One of the most underrated west coast breweries just dropped a new can. Ferment Brewing has released Bright West, a west coast IPA made in Oregon. The beer is available in 12-ounce cans and is an ideal pour for the long spring and summer days ahead.

The beer comes in a striking magenta can and is made with four different hop varieties. Showing citrus, floral notes, and pine, the beer is balanced and finishes nicely. It's a great option for your cooler or fridge as the milder days set in.

Read more