E-Mail This Article to a Friend Hemp beers Drinking and Toking--all at the same time! BY MIKE MILIARD

Anyone who's been to college knows how well pot and beer go together - in moderation, of course. It should come as no small surprise that in this age of ever-more-adventurous extreme beers, some brewers are taking that pairing to heart.

Hemp is a versatile crop with myriad uses: clothes, rope, paper, fuel, and food. Why not beer? Why indeed. All these brews use hemp seeds in the brewing process to add a subtle but perceptible flavor kick. But don't expect more than that because THC is only found in quantity in the leaves, buds and flowers of female plants. These beers don't pack any extra punch. Although, some of these beers are easier to find than others, if you ask your friendly local liquor storeowner nicely enough, maybe he'll order some for you.

Montreal's Brasserie Le Chaudron (www.brasserielechaudron.com) brews a devilish and delicious red ale called Chanvre Rouge using hemp seeds. (In case you weren’t aware, that's what the big pointy leaf on the label is in referencing.) It's marked by a sweetish-spicy tang, followed close by a faintly medicinal bite. If you can't find it here, it's only a six hour drive to Montreal.

Humboldt County, California is no stranger to the sticky-icky-icky, so the fact that Arcata's Humboldt Brewing Co. has a Hemp Ale should come as no surprise. "The government requires us to use sterile seeds," Humboldt founder (and former Oakland Raiders linebacker) Mario Celotto explained to the Marijuana News. "But they add a spicy flavor - it's like adding pepper to a dish."

The Hemp Porter brewed by LaCrosse, Wisconsin's Pearl Street Brewery (www.pearlstreetbrewery.com) is dark, thick, and a little bit smoky. According to the Pearl Street Web site, the hemp imparts a deep, earthy flavor. "Despite attempts to stamp out this very useful crop, you can still find patches of wild hemp growing along the shores of the La Crosse River."

Finally, there's the 420 India Pale Ale from Stone Coast (www.stonecoast.com) up in Portland, Maine. There's actually no hemp in this one. But with its name a not-so-subtle stoner reference, and the big leafy-green clusters on the label, there's no mistaking the brewers' mindset. This is a robust and floral IPA, heady with the pungent but pleasing bitterness of hops. And since hops and cannabis are close botanical cousins, it makes all the sense in the world.