Historic first Florida hemp beer will debut at Tallahassee 850 Hemp Summit

Did you know there's a Hemp Summit in Florida? And it's coming up on its second year? And even better, it's happening right here — this week — in Tallahassee?

The 2nd Annual 850 Hemp Summit — the brainchild of the Apalachee Regional Planning Council takes place April 26-28, beginning with a welcome reception Tuesday night at Oyster City Brewing Company's Tallahassee location at 603 W. Gaines, then kicking into high gear Wednesday with a trade show and numerous speakers spread across two days at the Tucker Civic Center.

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The inaugural summit was held in 2019 prior to the pandemic — also in Tallahassee — and then put on a pause before resuming this year.

And while the goal of the Hemp Summit is to educate farmers, businesses and interested individuals across North Florida about the economic opportunities and overall value of industrial hemp, there's a local craft beer aspect — and a historic first — that's going to be of particular interest to those who enjoy the award-winning and rapidly growing Tallahassee-area craft beer scene.

On Wednesday from 5-8 p.m., Southern Fields Brewing from Jackson County will be debuting the first hemp beer made in Florida with ingredients that were fully sourced from within the Sunshine State — including the all-important organically grown "hemp flower."

The hemp used for producing this beer is sourced from Pure Native Lifestyles in Fort Myers, begging the question how a small brewery in a farming-rich community in North Florida got hooked up with a hemp company on the Southwest Florida coast?

Southern Fields owner Brian Walker, whose brewery in Campbellton (Population: 251) has a theme of "No Farms, No Beer," said the opportunity to be a part of something that could have a huge impact on the craft beer industry in Florida and beyond is "exciting, and we can't wait to share what we've been working on for quite some time this week at the Summit."

Navigating gray areas

But it's a beer that almost didn't reach fruition due to so many gray areas of the laws surrounding hemp production and sale in Florida — especially when they are used in food and beverage products.

But between countless phone calls and meetings seeking clarification by both Walker and APRC Deputy Director Kwentin Eastberg, Tallahassee is going to write a new chapter in Florida's craft beer history books during a landmark reveal Wednesday night.

"Honestly, after our initial discussions (about trying to have a local brewery brew a hemp beer for the Hemp Summit), and identifying all the legal hoops surrounding the use of hemp in beer, we had all but written it off as an option for this year’s summit, and we were planning on reassessing its inclusion at a future event," Eastberg said.

"But then recently we found out how close Southern Fields was to producing a hemp beer on their own and as fate should have it, the timing happened to align perfectly with our event. Even Hollywood couldn’t have written a better story. Hemp is the only plant that can feed, house, clothe and heal and we’re looking forward to showcasing hemp’s diversity and potential as an economic driver for a region and how it can be used in so many different products. Beer is just one of over 25,000-plus products on the global market that hemp can be used for and we’re excited to share this opportunity with everyone."

Hazy beer with no name, yet

The beer style Southern Fields went with for their historic brew's debut is a hazy India Pale Ale that clocks in at 6.5% ABV (alcohol by volume) and, as of now, it does not have a name, said Walker.

Southern Fields will also be pouring its core hazy IPA — High Cotton — next to the hemp beer Wednesday so attendees can see the differences in a beer brewed with traditional hops vs. one brewed with hemp flower.

Soon, however, the beer will have a name, and when it does, Southern Fields plans to distribute to its area accounts and get it out to the public en masse for consumption.

And Walker said there is a lot of credit to go around to those who helped make this happen.

"It all started with a right-place, right-time situation at the brewery on a Sunday afternoon in the middle of last year," Walker recalled. "There was a large group in particular at the brewery that day that had attended a funeral in the area. One person was very interested in the beers and the process, and I took him on a tour of the brewery and the grounds. His name is Cole Peacock and he is the owner of Pure Native. He and I talked at length that day about farming, brewing and where he thought the craft beer industry could go and grow with the implementation of hemp."

Peacock, as it turns out, sits on many advisory boards in regard to hemp, CBD and marijuana, and he began to see potential in Southern Fields and their strong ties and dedication to the farming community.

Florida grown hemp

"Out of that afternoon, we hatched the idea to make a truly Florida hemp beer with all the hemp used in production grown here in the state," Walker said. "After many trial runs — some successful, some really not successful — we decided on using a blend primarily using Master Kush. Beer-wise, we settled on brewing a hazy IPA because the floral notes and the dankness and aromatics came together really well."

And Eastberg, for one, is beyond pumped to see the beer actually being poured and sampled Wednesday, as well as hearing any and all feedback.

"All the credit goes to Southern Fields for the creation of this historic brew, we’re just fortunate they are allowing us to be involved with its debut," Eastberg said. "Having a locally sourced product that is grown, processed, and used all from the same geographic area is a very exciting opportunity."

Anyone wishing to attend the Expo portion of the 850 Hemp Summit, sample the beer and learn more about hemp's value, can purchase a ticket at 850hempsummit.com/registration.

The remaining parts of the Summit, meanwhile, will feature an all-star cast of experts on the topic of hemp, including Geoffrey Whaling (Chair of the National Hemp Association), Jacob Waddell (President of the U.S. Hemp Builders Association), Holly Bell, Cannabis Director for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and about a dozen other speakers with immense knowledge on the topic of hemp and its potential impact on thousands of products and industries.

In general, the 850 Hemp Summit is intended for interested farmers, businesses, and other stakeholders who wish to gain an early foothold in this emergent market. The Summit provides a place for like-minded participants to share interests, discuss partnerships, and generate ideas for a productive, financially viable, and compliant hemp industry in North Florida, focusing on topics such as:

• Florida’s Hemp Program, applicable laws, and the process for acquiring a hemp cultivation license;

• Requirements for selecting the right hemp seed genetics and environment for growing hemp;

• How to produce hemp-derived products in a safe and successful manner; and

• The positive impacts resulting from the cultivation of industrial hemp as a cash crop alternative.

Danny Aller is the co-founder, along with Matthew Crumbaker, of the TLH Beer Society. Reach the Beer Society on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, or email: tlhbeersociety@gmail.com.

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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Southern Fields debuts hemp beer at Tallahassee's 850 Hemp Summit