Every so often a brewery releases a beer that requires a little bit of an explanation before the first sip, and MT Kush Durban Haze IPA from Lewis and Clark Brewing Co. is one of those beers. This limited release takes their existing Helena Haze IPA and adds cannabis-derived terpenes sourced from Green Crack and Durban Poison strains, and yes, before anyone gets any ideas, the brewery is very clear that there is no THC and no CBD involved. What you are getting is the aroma and character of those plants without any of the effects, which is either a clever bit of flavor engineering or the most elaborate practical joke a hop ever played.
The result, according to the brewery, is dank and tropical, layered on top of the juicy citrus punch that already defines their Helena Haze. Terpenes are the aromatic compounds responsible for a huge amount of what makes hops smell the way they do in the first place, so brewing with cannabis-derived versions is less of a gimmick than it might first sound, it is really just widening the aromatic toolkit in a direction most breweries never bother exploring. Lewis and Clark are billing it as crafted for the curious and the adventurous, which is a fairly honest way of admitting this one is not for the beer drinker who wants no surprises.
Helena has always had a slightly rebellious streak buried under its state capital respectability, a city built on a gold rush that decided almost on a whim to become the seat of Montana government, so a brewery willing to take a genuine swing on something this unusual feels right at home there.
MT Kush Durban Haze IPA is a limited release, so it will not be sticking around at the Lewis and Clark Tap Room forever. If a beer that smells like it should be illegal but is entirely, cheerfully legal sounds like your kind of curiosity, this is the moment to go find out for yourself.