How Does It Feel When Mixing CBD Oil with Beer?

Back when CBD was fresh to the market, some breweries cashed in on the green wave and infused their beers with hemp oil to offer customers a relaxing, novel take on a classic alcoholic beverage. The FDA and DEA cracked down on this practice, however, and these products are no longer sold legally on store shelves or at your local watering hole (even in Oregon and California).

Sure, some smaller breweries have gotten crafty and are now producing CBD-infused no or low ABV IPAs, pilsners, and sparkling beverages that are quite popular in markets where you can find them. But the key to these beverages is that they only include a negligible amount of alcohol, if any. 

The good news is that it’s simple to infuse your beer with CBD on your own. Simply find the best CBD oil and add a splash to your favorite brew. The not-so-good news is that the official word on whether it is safe to mix CBD and alcohol is unclear.

However, a quick search online will turn up plenty of cocktail recipes featuring CBD, and lots of consumers swear by mixing CBD oil from Exhalewell with their favorite boozy beverage to help with hangovers, intensify their buzz with less alcohol, or even to increase their tolerance.

Is it Safe to Mix CBD and Beer?

The answer to this question most likely depends on how much of either you use together and your personal health history. If you have any sort of serious health condition like heart disease, then you’ll want to talk to your doctor before imbibing.

Healthy adults who intend to mix CBD and beer should do so in moderation and cut themselves off if they feel nauseous, severely intoxicated, or unusually drowsy. Contact your doctor right away if you have any concerns.

CBD Intensifies the Effects of Alcohol

If you use it while you’re drinking beer, then the effects of the beer will likely be intensified. Beer is a depressant, and CBD relaxes you. So there is a strong chance you will just get extra sleepy when using the two together.

However, there are other ways to combine the effects of CBD and beer that are safer and will give you more bang for your buck.

CBD May Help Your Hangover

If you wake up with a pounding headache the morning after pounding back one (or a few) too many beers, a dose of CBD oil and a big glass of water may just be the answer you’ve been looking for. While the majority of your headache may be from dehydration, CBD has been found to reduce inflammation and provide pain relief in a number of applications.

You may also be able to settle your stomach and hold down some breakfast with a healthy dose of full spectrum CBD oil. This is because of the way CBD interacts with the serotonin in your body and works to settle your stomach.

The trick is to wait until after the intoxication from alcohol wears off. If you take CBD while you are still drunk, you will likely be brought back into a new wave of being drunk. If you want to use CBD oil to help your hangover, sleep on it first.

CBD Could Reduce Your Urge to Drink

Most of us have been there. You might not have a problem with binge drinking but sometimes get caught up in the fun of a night on the town and drink a little more than you should. Especially if you happen to enjoy the taste of your favorite beers.

CBD may help to curb your urge to drink, preventing you from accidentally imbibing too much.  Cannabis is currently being researched as a potential treatment for addictions of all kinds, including addition to alcohol. But it may also simply help prevent you from going overboard on a fun night out as well.

Just remember not to take CBD while you are drinking because the effects of CBD oil generally take more than an hour to kick in. This makes it difficult to gauge the combined effect of CBD and alcohol until it is too late. Take your CBD oil at least a couple of hours before drinking in order to ensure you know how you are going to feel.

CBD May Prevent Alcohol-Related Cell Damage and Disease

We’re not saying that it’s okay to go on a binge every weekend or get wasted every evening after work. But CBD may help reduce or prevent some alcohol-related cell damage and disease.

One study showed that CBD decreased brain cell degeneration in rats that had been given alcohol, and another showed that CBD may protect against fatty liver disease. If you are concerned about the potentially damaging effects of moderate drinking, you may be able to ward off long-term alcohol-related illness with a daily dose of CBD oil.

Mixing CBD and Beer May Have Surprising Effects

While the jury is still out on whether it is safe to mix beer and CBD, many beer lovers enjoy a bit of hemp oil with their hops. Just keep in mind that CBD oil may increase your intoxication if you are using the two together.

It takes a couple of hours to know how you will be affected by CBD oil if you ingest it, so it’s generally a good idea to take it before you start drinking or after the effects have worn off depending on how you intend to use it.

CBD oil taken the morning after may help your hangover, CBD is being investigated as a treatment for alcohol addiction and may curb your urge to drink, and it could even help to prevent alcohol-related cell damage and disease.

In the end, it’s up to you to decide if and how to use CBD while drinking beer. If you’re going to give it a try, we advise starting with very small amounts of both until you know how you will be affected. Hoppy experimenting!