Crafting Cannabis, The Boston Beer Way

Paul Weaver is a passionate innovator and product developer with over a decade of experience across both the alcohol and cannabis industries. He is Director, Head of Cannabis at The Boston Beer Company, where he leads the Company’s Canadian cannabis division. In 2022, Boston Beer launched TeaPot, a line of refreshing T-infused iced teas blending specific strains with specific varietals of tea. Prior to joining Boston Beer, Paul was Director of Innovation at Canopy Growth Corporation and previously served as Senior Manager of Innovation at Molson Coors Beverage Company. Paul believes cannabis to be a force for good in the world and dedicates his career to bringing high quality products to new consumers in a safe, friendly and consistent manner. He and his family live in Downtown Toronto.

When The Boston Beer Company, maker of Samuel Adams, Twisted Tea, and Truly Hard Seltzer, decided to explore cannabis, it turned to Paul Weaver to lead the charge. As Head of Cannabis, Weaver is guiding one of America’s most iconic brewers into a new era of THCinfused innovation, proving that alcohol and cannabis do not have to compete, but can be complementary business units.

“Alcohol and THC can co-exist happily,” Weaver told The Drinks Business in 2024. For him, cannabis beverages and edibles are a natural evolution of Boston Beer’s expertise in flavor, craftsmanship, and social enjoyment. With more consumers embracing mindful drinking or “Cali-sober” lifestyles, Weaver sees an opportunity to offer their drinkers new alternatives.

Weaver’s team has applied Boston Beer’s meticulous approach to recipe development, quality control, and brand design to the cannabis space. Instead of repurposing beer formulas, they’ve built new, premium products from the ground up. “We’re bringing 40 years of craft beer know-how to cannabis,” Weaver explained.

The company chose Canada, a country where cannabis is federally legal, as the testing ground for this vision. It began first with TeaPot, a line of THC-infused iced teas, building off the success of their Twisted Tea alcohol brand. Available in both 5mg and 10mg formulations, TeaPot is non-carbonated cannabis iced tea crafted to remove any cannabis taste or aroma and now sold in over 1,800 dispensaries across Canada. “TeaPot is for new and experienced cannabis consumers alike. It’s non-intimidating, easy to understand, and incredibly refreshing.”

Following the success of TeaPot, in 2025 Boston Beer launched Emerald Hour, a brand of THC cocktails and gummies. Unlike TeaPot, according to Weaver, Emerald Hour is for “experienced cannabis consumers who prefer THC over alcohol and are seeking a full spectrum, high quality experience.” For example, Emerald Hour’s gummies are crafted with live rosin and solvent less cannabis diamonds for a full-spectrum effect.

Weaver’s approach is deliberate: establish credibility in a category still defining itself. By focusing on great taste and polished marketing, Boston Beer is positioning their cannabis products as the elevated choice in an increasingly crowded marketplace. “We’re one of the world’s most reputable and trusted craft brewers for a reason; it’s not just our obsession over product quality but the ability to translate that into a scalable business.”

That focus on trust is key. As cannabis regulations remain fragmented in the U.S., Boston Beer’s Canadian operations serve as a laboratory for innovation and compliance. The pathway is clear enough; invent and perfect the products, refine the process, and be ready to scale once U.S. regulations catch up.

For the broader industry, Weaver’s work offers a blueprint for how alcohol companies can approach cannabis without diluting their core brands. Instead of treating THC beverages as a threat, Boston Beer frames them as an extension of its purpose: creating social, flavorful and responsibly made drinks for every occasion.

Analysts note that the cannabis beverage market, while still small, is gaining traction, particularly among younger consumers who value lower-calorie, hangover-free alternatives to alcohol. As regulations evolve, players with deep beverage expertise and strong brand credibility, like Boston Beer, are well positioned to lead.

Under Weaver’s leadership, Boston Beer’s cannabis journey is still in its early chapters, but the groundwork is strong. TeaPot and Emerald Hour are carving out a space that feels authentic to the company’s heritage while appealing to a new generation of consumers.

If step one of Boston Beer’s cannabis plan was to prove THC and alcohol can share the same table, the next will test how quickly that table can expand across borders. 40 years ago, it was Boston Beer Company that made craft beer mainstream in America, perhaps they can do the same for cannabis.