MA Breweries Host 4/20 Weekend Bashes With Weed, Pickle Inspired Brews

MASSACHUSETTS — The crossover of cannabis and beer is strong at Widowmaker Brewing, and 4/20 weekend is a major draw for those in the region to the Braintree brewery.

Widowmaker annually hosts a music festival at their Braintree location that corresponds with the release of the cannabis-inspired beer, Hopsmoker.

The beer, which is available starting Friday, is a "terpene infused Hazy Double IPA," brewery officials said.

"HOPSMOKER reeks of the sweet leaf and is perfectly balanced. We continue to make minor adjustments for maximum flavor, but rest assured, this beer is brimming with notes of pineapple gummies, bubblegum, and pine," they said.

The brewery paired this year's beer with their fifth addition to their 420 glass series. This year's features a 16 to 20 oz. glass with the handle serving as a way to enjoy your other favorite substance.

The maker of this year's mug, Sully Reynolds, will be one of the vendors at this weekend's Hopsmokerfest vendor market.

Hopsmokerfest is highlighted by a stacked lineup of musicians and bands, and also features film screenings, food and, of course, beer.

The Braintree brewery will be open for normal service from noon to 4 p.m., but the ticketed events start at 4:20 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and 6 p.m. on Sunday.

If all of that wasn't enough, Widowmaker has also made a lager which ties into the start of the Celtics NBA championship chase.

Green Auerbach is a pale lager with notes of "a ripe tropical fruit over a crushable lager base." The alcohol by volume? 4.20 percent.

Spicy Pickle Lager

Yes, you read that right.

For those who haven't yet been exposed to this Cape Cod collaboration, Lighthouse Keeper's Pantry and Devil's Purse have teamed up for the second year to produce this lager inspired by the cafe's habanero hot sauce and dill pickles.

Devil's Purse said the pickle-inspired lager was their most popular one-off brew of 2023 when it was in tall cans, and returns in 2024 with the same look and recipe, but in smaller cans.

You probably have questions, but Devil's Purse officials tried to answer the big ones on social media this week:

"Is this beer a joke? No. Is it a novelty? Maybe. Is it a delicious, crushable and borderline absurd lager? Yes."

As part of the release, the brewery and cafe will also host the Spicy Pickle Bash on Saturday from 3 to 6 p.m. at the cafe, 173 Main St., in Yarmouth.

4/20 Deals At Local Chains

As cannabis has been legalized in states across the country, you can bet that The Brands are going to get in on the monetization of 4/20.

For restaurant chains, that means 4/20 specials for those who plan on indulging in their hunger cravings after celebrating the holiday.

At Jimmy John's the "Deliciously Dope Dimebag" special includes a sandwich, bag of chips and brownie for $10 with the code "DIMEBAG". The special runs from now until Sunday.

There are four Jimmy John's locations in Massachusetts including Boston, Northborough, Waltham and Worcester.

Popeyes is also running a special, with the restaurant's chicken sandwich priced at $4.20 through the end of the week. The deal is a digital exclusive and for pick-up only.