Successful launch for Cannabrew's CBD cider

Lancaster craft brewer Cannabrew has been 'bowled over' by the success of its new CBD-infused hard cider, selling out the entire first batch of 5,400 cans on the first day of sale.

Cloud Cider is a vegan drink made with 15mg of broad-spectrum CBD oil added at the filtration stage. It's the third CBD-infused product created by Cannabrew, following Sesh IPA, which went on sale in 2019, and Soul lager, developed in 2020.

Brewery founder Elliot Horner said of his new cider, which for now is only available in bottles: "I now think we should have produced more; it’s as simple as that!

"Our dreams are big, but, as we grow, we remain a smaller craft brewer compared to others in the market. And innovation always comes with risk. So, with new lines, and with respect to our investors, we take a calculated risk on the amount of production budget to invest.

"Earlier in the year, our first samples for Cloud Cider were especially well received. We also used the previous experience of our successful lager and IPA launches to help us predict demand. But with a blend so innovative we decided to be cautious. Maybe, looking at the demand, we were more cautious than we needed to be.

"Ultimately, the opinions of paying customers are even more telling than those of sample tasters. The first batch plays a crucial role in predicting definitive market interest. We’ve been bowled over by demand, to say the least."

The brand has already built up a strong online following. More than £200,000 was raised through crowdfunding on a single day this May to fund future development.

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