For this 4/20 I’ve got reviews of two brews that Georgia-based SweetWater Brewery sent to me, perfectly themed for the day (was that intentional?): 420 Strain Insane OG Mexican Lager and Lime Haze Hydroponics Seltzer.

Even though they fit into the cannabis theme, there is no actual cannabis in these drinks, though the brewery has done a good job of bringing the aroma to them—read on.

420 Strain Insane OG Mexican Lager

We turned to a couple true OGs for this collab: Cypress Hill’s B-Real and his Insane OG. Dr. Greenthumb himself helped nailed down the recipe for this intense Mexican lager. Pick it, crack it, drink it up, come along.

When Cypress Hill is the collaborator, there’s no surprise about how this 420 Strain series beer turned out. It’s a dankly hoppy take on a Mexican-style lager, with 5.6% ABV and 28 IBUs.

Appearance: It’s an attractive hazy copper-amber color that glows when held to the light. The off-white head is creamy and fine.

Smell: Intensely herbal and aromatic notes of marijuana — “dank” in every sense of the word. Even Ninkasi’s Maiden the Shade (which for me previously held the “most pot-like aroma” record) didn’t come this close. There are some corn and grainy notes behind the ganja, but that herbal presence dominates throughout.

Taste: Clean, corny lager profile with a nice herbal pop of hop flavor, with very little bitterness. The retronasal aroma is a big sensory component in this beer, you get the wash of pot aroma at the back. Minty. Pleasant corn, grainy malt flavors, striking me as kind of comfort-food-like.

Mouthfeel: Medium-light body with a crisp carbonation and a big minty-dank herbal presence in the finish.

Overall: I enjoyed this take on the style, with the obvious 4/20 twist that still worked surprisingly well in a hoppy lager. I’d happily drink it again.

Lime Haze Hydroponics Seltzer

Yes, SweetWater is getting into the seltzer game with its Hydroponics line, and differentiating by infusing the seltzers with cannabis-inspired terpenes.

Hydro is a light and refreshing hard seltzer infused with plant-based terpenes inspired by fruit-forward cannabis strains for a clean, invigorating flavor and aroma and refreshingly heady drinking experience.

100 calories. 5% ABV. All natural flavors. Plant based. 1g sugar. 1g carbs. Naturally gluten free.

My experience with hard seltzer thus far is pretty minimal, but it’s different enough from beer that I’m not doing tasting notes in the same format—how would you judge seltzers in that sense, anyway?

At any rate, Lime Haze is perfectly clear and looks like sparkling water. There is an immediate snap of cannabis aroma as soon as I pop open the can, and it’s not being coy like hoppy versions trying to capture the essence of it. It smells just like skunky pot, and it’s quite aggressively fragrant. There’s a hint of a twist of lime.

The flavor is… kind of dank in the same skunky herb direction that’s earthy and catty and kind of dirty. To be honest I don’t find it very pleasant. There’s a hint of lime and a hint of simple syrup and a touch of ethanol, and it just leaves me with a slightly bitter, earthy-herbal aftertaste in that same “dirt” direction and maybe even a touch oily. I don’t know if there is supposed to be more lime or something here, or if this is the flavor profile the brewery intended.

It’s also quite effervescent and gassy, with a constant stream of bubbles throughout.

Unlike the 420 Strain before, this is not the drink for me, I’m finding the flavor off-putting. I don’t mind the aroma though it is pungent, but the flavor just throws me off.