Jester King Brewery in Dripping Springs is gonna get high with a little help (and hemp) from their friends. The farmhouse brewery, set on 41 bucolic acres west of Austin, has teamed with fellow Dripping Springs-based business, Tejas Tonic, to create a sparkling THC-infused tonic water.
Jester King will roll out Tripping Springs Hemp Sparkling Water at the brewery’s Green Acres Hop Fest & Springtime Art Market on April 19. The water, infused with 5mg of THC, CBD and terpenes (the essential oils that give the beverage flavor, smell and medicinal effect) will come in three flavors, with the beverage sold on draft and in cans. Tripping Springs will also be available at retail outlets around Central Texas.
Jester King Brewery is releasing its Tripping Springs hemp tonic, a collaboration with Tejas Tonic, at an event at the brewery in Dripping Springs on April 19.
Who are Jester King Brewery, Tejas Tonic?
Jester King has paired with other breweries to create about 150 brews over the last 15 years, and Jeffrey Stuffings, who co-founded Jester King in 2010, finds the collaborative process with Tejas Tonic similar to those craft brewing projects.
The brewery, which also raises goats, hosts regular events and serves some of the best pizza in town, is known for its natural processes and commitment to sustainability. So when looking for a partner in the THC-beverage space, Stuffings said it made perfect sense to join with Tejas Tonic, which West Texas farmer Aaron Owens brought to market in 2023.
Tejas Tonic is made with hemp grown on Owens’ farms in Dripping Springs and Luckenbach, and is a 100% organic, natural, farm-to table hemp product with no synthetics or additives.
Tejas Hemp Farm in Dripping Springs.
“It’s grown here in Central Texas, so using something that is grown here and in the Texas soil and has its own terroir based on the agriculture and seasonality made a lot of sense because it’s basically a parallel to the beer we make,” Stuffings told the American-Statesman. “I wouldn’t be as enthusiastic about buying a THC powder that is an amalgamation of a bunch of different products. Actually getting to work with Texas hemp is pretty special to us.”
Stuffings has seen many parallels between the farmhouse brewing process and the creation of the water, with hops, grain, fruits and herbs replaced by hemp and the natural terpenes Owens is able to extract to create various flavor profiles and sensations.
What’s in the THC drink?
Tripping Springs will not have any alcohol, but it will share with Jester King’s beers the thing that Stuffings has come to realize sets his beers apart. He thought for years that Jester King’s natural yeasts and the hops used by the brewery were what differentiated his beers, but he’s come to realize that the well water from the brewery’s aquifer is the primary distinguishing element. That water, mineral rich, and full of calcium and carbonates, is the basis for Tripping Springs.
While Owens has helped Stuffings and his team at Jester King navigate the terrain of hemp, he says he has also learned from the brewery, with which he says he shares an affinity to their appreciation of terroir and natural beverage production.
Jeffrey Stuffings, founder of Jester King Brewery, says the collaboration with Tejas Tonic has similarities to his brewery’s joint productions with other breweries.
“They’re the most agriculturally attuned and boutique type of brewery around us, so there’s already a connection,” Owens said of the partnership. “And once we started talking, we realized it would be way cool. In my opinion, there’s enough for everybody. And where I like to nerd out is on the farming side, and I want to have different genetics, which, I’m learning, is what the hops people do.”
Tripping Springs Hemp Sparkling Water contains zero carbohydrates or added sugar and will be available in three flavors: Hop Water, made with citra hops and pineapple; watermelon mint; and peach apricot.
Tripping Springs rolled out as Texas weighs THC ban
The Tripping Springs rollout comes as the Texas legislature weighs whether to completely ban THC products, as recommended in Senate Bill 3, or consider a more measured approach, as with House Bill 28, which would carve out an exceptions for THC-infused beverages such as Tripping Springs and Tejas Tonic.
If the more punitive SB3 were to pass, Owens says both Tejas Tonic and Tripping Springs would be forced to pivot to CBD and CBG only, though they would still be able to bring the benefits of the essential oils from the plant to the people through their “Terpene Boosted” formula.
If HB28 were to pass as currently constructed, Owens, a founding member of the Texas Hemp Coalition, said Tejas Tonic and Jester King could continue with both products as is.
“Other products in the industry will be affected and that’s painful to think about as a hemp farmer,” Owens said. “But it is a beverage bill and we are a beverage company.”
Green Acres Hop Fest & Springtime Art Market.
Bands will perform Phish, Jerry Garcia and Grateful Dead tunes and more from 1 to 8 p.m., followed by an 8:30 p.m. screening of “Dazed & Confused.” There will also be an art market, face painting, glass blowing, live tattooing and screen printing and much more.
When: April 19, music begins at 1 p.m.
Where: Jester King Brewery (13187 Fitzhugh Road)
Info: The event is free and family friendly. More details at jesterkingbrewery.com.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Jester King teams with Tejas Tonic for THC drink Tripping Springs