Field Day Brewing debuts Day Dreamer, cannabis-infused beverage

Field Day Brewing Co., a taproom and brewery in North Liberty that opened in August 2023, is brewing more than beer these days. The brewery is debuting its in-house cannabis-infused beverage, Day Dreamer, Friday, Feb. 23. North Liberty’s first brewery sees the new endeavor as a welcome counterpart to their beer production. “We want to try to give people as many options as they can, that are safe, that are clean, and that are just overall available for them,” said Alec Travis, co-owner and head brewer of Field Day.

“We see these products as being a really nice substitute for people who are just coming out of dry January…or somebody who doesn't like the effects of alcohol,” he said. When the owners of Field Day saw the success of Climbing Kites, Iowa’s first cannabis-infused beverage, they decided to branch out into THC beverages as well, especially since the brewery has additional space for growth. The idea to create a custom beverage was a team decision between Mr. Travis and his co-founder, Joe Selix. Other businesses didn’t seem as eager to jump on the cannabis bandwagon, which spurred the two business partners to explore the field. Mr. Travis began looking into the legalities of the issue, which were murky in the beginning. “I spent two weeks on the phone, calling state representatives and calling department heads and talking to people who are making this, explaining our space and our situation," he said. “We just kind of found that all of these departments were overseeing it, but none of them really had a clear grasp on it, just because it was so new."

Difficult to define

Day Dreamer is hemp-based, not marijuana-based. Businesses and manufacturers that sell THC-infused products undergo a rigorous process to ensure that state and federal regulations are closely followed. For months prior to Day Dreamer’s debut, Field Day worked closely with multiple state departments to discuss logistics and legalities of manufacturing and selling the beverage. Because the product contains organic elements, Field Day changed its building license from food retailer to food manufacturer. “Since there is no alcohol in it, it is not overseen by the TTB (Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau), or the ABV (alcohol by volume), so it's seen as a food component,” said Mr. Travis. “With it being food products, we are adhering to regulations for making sure that our suppliers are up to date with regulations from their supply, which can just trickle down to us." Mr. Travis stressed the gravity of having protocols in place to manage the process and keep consumers safe. “Somebody could just get a glass of water from a faucet, let it sit out for days, add their stuff to it, and then serve it – and they could say that is a food product, or that is a that is a hemp derived beverage...somebody's going to get sick,” he said. With the new license, Field Day can distribute outside of the building to any retailer that has a hemp license. Following current regulations and sourcing proper ingredients, Field Day assures consumers that every batch is registered with the state prior to selling and that the process is rigorously controlled and monitored according to FDA regulations. “We've been working closely with the state and the HHS (Department of Health and Human Services), to make sure that our products are meeting those standards and are being tested properly and are regulated," Mr. Travis said. "So that, when it does hit the shelf, it has been checked by several different people and run through several different labs, and it's as clean and as good of a product as we can possibly get." Similar to alcohol products, patrons must be 21 years of age or older to purchase Day Dreamer. In-house, drink limits for the beverage are enforced, depending on the strength ordered.

‘Like a 7-Up LaCroix’

Day Dreamer comes in three flavors and potency levels; Raspberry Hibiscus, Strawberry Citrus and Lemon Ginger – described as a “7-Up LaCroix,” with a bright, spritzy, acidic flavor by Mr. Travis. Potency levels include Low Key, with two milligrams of a THC and CBD blend; Classic, with seven milligrams; and Fly High, with 15 milligrams. “They do give you that social buzz and that euphoric feeling,” said Mr. Travis. Strength levels will be easily identifiable from the labeling colors – Low Key has a soft, pastel color, Classic is big and bold, Fly High is dark. “We wanted to give people as much options as possible” Mr. Travis said, giving the example of someone hanging out during the day vs. someone who wants to have a good night’s sleep that evening. The potency is similar to what you would find in other THC edibles and is comparable to microdosing – the product is ingested over a period of time, similar to a gummy. Getting the desired effect is an exercise in science and patience. Day Dreamer uses different blends of CBD to THC, a one-to-one ratio for everything. The ratio helps with relaxation and counters anxiety from THC. Field Day typically works with Delta 9 and CBD cannabinoids, and is in the process of working with a brand that incorporates CBN and CBG, cannabinoids that live in the hemp plant and help with rest, relaxation, anxiety and stiff, sore muscles.

Organic and local

Field Day uses a Midwest hemp supplier and desires to keep ingredients local, but purchases fruit products out of state for seasonal reasons. The brewery uses non-artificial ingredients for Day Dreamer. Mr. Travis points to the Raspberry Hibiscus, which contains carbonated water, organic raspberries and hibiscus. “It comes out a beautiful red color…we’re not adding red dye…we feel good about the product,” he said. In addition, Day Dreamer contains significantly less calories than beer or alcohol and does not use artificial sweeteners. “On the backside, we're analyzing every component: what the water looks like, what the pH is, what the flavor is, what the body is, how much sugar is in it and every component,” said Mr. Travis, on coming up with recipes. “It kind of tied into isolating all the different things that will make it what it is and then making it perfect.” The product is tested for flavor, aromatics, bitterness and “how it made you feel both at the time and the next day,” he said. Smaller batches of Day Dreamer mean Field Day can afford to be more conscientious with suppliers and can also practice flexibility by partnering with local entities for seasonal drinks to highlight a flavor or local ingredient. “We're talking about doing a honey beer with a local beekeeper who's 20 minutes away, where all of his bees are feeding off of 80 acres of wildflowers up in Ely,” said Mr. Travis. “As we hit fall, we've talked about doing an apple spice version that's going to be more like that fall component, where we try to find some local apples to juice,” he said. “And just have a little bit more creative freedom and flow of figuring out what people like, what they don't like, and adapt to it.” Field Day has plans to produce a nightcap version of Day Dreamer made from blueberry and lavender. Day Dreamer will be sold in a four pack, with the possibility of choosing a variety if the purchase occurs at the brewery. “This is a very new product, we're still navigating a lot of stuff,” said Mr. Travis. “I think if we can supply really good tasting products at an affordable price, people will start really getting behind a lot of stuff.” Once Day Dreamer is assimilated into Field Day’s menu, the brewery will most likely drop Climbing Kites in favor of promoting its own brand.

Processes

While Day Dreamer is produced in the same building, the production spaces are separate from each other. It’s illegal to mix alcohol with cannabinoids, and Field Day has strict protocols and procedures in place to avoid ingredients from mingling. “Accidents can happen, and we don’t use the same equipment to make these two products,” said Mr. Travis. One of the first steps following legal research was locating a Midwest hemp supplier. Field Day does not work directly with the farmers, but works with third-party labs that do a lot of different extractions, which break the product down into hemp-derived cannabinoids. Mr. Travis and Mr. Selix explored six different hemp suppliers before finding one with a product that they were unanimous on. The winning choice was the most expensive, but the product had a “better feeling and a cleaner, euphoric buzz with no side effects,” said Mr. Travis, which has to do how labs and pharmaceuticals break down biomass. Pharmaceutical companies break down the biomass and test the byproduct, which is made from water soluble hemp solutions. Right now, Field Day is working with six-to-seven different labs to get the desired results. Organic fruits and botanicals are infused with cannabinoids, and the product is tested by third party labs, which send a certificate of analysis (COA) for each product, after it completes several rounds of testing. “(A) very crucial part to having these products be available is the regulation behind it,” said Mr. Travis. “You have to follow very strict guidelines.” The labs test for pesticides, the amount of cannabinoids, heavy metals and mycotoxins, and the finished product is canned and sent to a third party lab before it hits consumers. Not having those safeguards in place regarding manufacturing protocols could be detrimental to community safety, stressed Mr. Travis. “You don't want somebody just coming in and shooting from the hip and see what happens,” he said.

Looking forward to feedback

For Mr. Travis, the most rewarding part of the process has been dreaming up recipes. Taking on this project has meant stepping out of his comfort zone, which has kept him occupied. “I'm a person who likes to stay busy, probably to a fault,” he said. The brewery has already been reaching out to area retailers with hemp licenses – John’s Grocery in Iowa City has already ordered a pallet. Eventually, Field Day would like to branch out to neighboring states with hemp-friendly laws. “It will take, I think, more knowledge and more people understanding that this is now a state controlled thing. And it's legal here. We're playing by the rules, and we're following all the regulations, and I think once (consumers) start to see that they're going to start jumping on board,” he said. He predicts that other breweries will jump on the bandwagon as well. “We are one of the first people to start making it, I doubt we'll be the last, and people will follow suit,” said Mr. Travis. With the launch on Feb. 23, Field Day brewers said they are excited to get feedback from the public. “Now that we have our brand package done and our brand name, we're really excited to finally get that finished product in people's hands and see what they think," Mr. Travis said. "It's something that we're working really hard on."