Long time soda drinker, first time social soda drinker? Welcome to the Float Shoppe. We’re so glad to see ya! The Float Shoppe is a new line of THC-infused drinks from the friendly soda jerks at Great Lakes Brewing Co. These classic flavors are full of feel-good nostalgia and feel-good vibes. But what if it’s your first time partaking in THC-infused beverages? Don’t worry—we’ve got you covered. Read on to learn what to expect from your Social Soda experience, with expert insight from GLBC Quality Manager Spencer Weeks.
What Exactly Is a Hemp Beverage?
Hemp beverages are drinks with hemp-derived ingredients. These ingredients are often cannabinoids: compounds that occur naturally in the hemp plant which can deliver a range of psychoactive and physiological effects. The Float Shoppe beverages are seltzers, so expect a little bubble with your buzz.
Delta9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the primary psychoactive cannabinoid compound found in cannabis and hemp plants. It’s responsible for the “high” or intoxicating effects associated with cannabis use. The THC in our D9 beverage is naturally-derived and extracted from hemp plants. And speaking of naturally-derived, The Float Shoppe Social Sodas are all crafted with natural flavors, too!
How Long Will It Take To Feel the Effects?
Just like a carhop at your favorite retro burger drive-in, our social sodas get to work in a jiffy! You should start to feel the effects within 10-20 minutes of consuming. Of course, this can vary from person to person, and factors like weight and your own tolerance can all have an impact on your overall experience. We recommend starting slow. The National Institute of Health defines 5mg THC as the “standard dose” which is the perfect starting point for someone new to THC beverages.
Spencer’s Scoop:
We get our THC from a company (Perfectly Dosed) that makes it into a nano emulsion, which has the effect of increasing solubility in the drink and improving the consistency of the onset effect compared to other edible or tincture THCs on the market. Edibles usually take 30-60 minutes for onset and can last for hours. Nano emulsions tend to speed up that timetable to a 10-30 minute onset and 1-2 hour duration, making it more of a social session rather than an all-day affair.
So How Are These Beverages Made? And What Do They Taste Like?
Our innovative team took inspiration from nostalgic soda shop flavors when crafting our Social Sodas, which are flavored seltzers. Expect a little fizz and a bright pop of flavor—not too mild, but not overly sweet.
Spencer’s Scoop:
Our process began with our sensory specialist, Jacob Eaton, who did hundreds of tests with different juices and natural flavors to get just the right blend of flavor, acidity, mouthfeel, and sweetness. The goal was “sweet enough”, rather than sugary soda sweet, and keeping it in the naturally flavored and low-calorie space. We also formulated them to keep them stable and safe for the whole shelf life. When we got them all to the target, we added THC emulsion to determine whether we needed to make any changes to keep the target flavor profile.
Then, we scaled up the batch and did wider taste testing with employees and outside tasters. A lot of products on the market have a distinctly dank weedy smell and taste or they use a lot of sugar or sweeteners to cover them up. Ours are different, formulated from the ground up to NOT be like that. We started with the goal of being different than the market, and we are proud to say we’ve nailed it. That is also a testament to our emulsion manufacturer, a they produce pure and consistent hemp-derived THC.
Is This Legal? And Safe?
Yes, and YES! As a large production brewery, we already hold ourselves to rigorous standards when it comes to crafting, packaging, testing, and selling beverages. Those same standards (and more!) apply to The Float Shoppe Social Sodas. Our base hemp emulsion and each batch are tested by a third party lab, and all our results are available here. In fact, beverages provide the most accurate and controlled intake of THC compared to vaping or consuming edibles thanks to a more homogenous blend of THC in liquid.
Spencer's Scoop:
The good news is that we were already meeting all the important requirements (we’ve been flavoring our beer with juices for years), and we typically have a higher than needed standard. The biggest change from brewing beer was setting up Float Shoppe to be gluten free. We did a lot of testing on our cleaning procedures before we decided to put that on the label, validating that we can achieve gluten-free levels on every product changeover.
We also do a lot of testing before packaging that is not strictly required, and this higher standard makes a difference. It allows us to refine our potency to hit a more controlled dose than our competitors. We target a tight window with our dosing because above all we want people to have a consistent experience with Float Shoppe.
Every batch is tested at several points in the process for potency and food safety (including gluten-free) then confirmed by an outside lab. I am confident in our process, and that attention to quality and detail will show.
Let’s Keep It Legal:
It is currently legal for us to produce and sell THC-infused beverages in the state of Ohio, and we (and many others in our industry) would like to keep it that way! If you enjoy The Float Shoppe and support safe and responsible production of THC drinks, we invite you to join us in advocacy by visiting noonsb56.com.
