As more and more people are making the switch from cigarettes to e-cigarettes, there has been talk about using the technology of e-cig liquid and adding it trace amounts to beer brews. The implications of this are obviously quite complex, as you would be dealing with legislation issues, health issues and ethical issues.
Only a decade or two ago, the thought of an electronic cigarette seemed preposterous, but now vaporizer pens are selling at a ridiculous pace, as more and more people look to avoid the harmful byproducts of combusting tobacco or other smoking materials. So is that far fetched to think that this sort of technology, or at least the spirit of this technology could be translated to the world of brewing?
Well, it’s complicated. Firstly, nicotine is extremely poisonous, especially in the liquid, ingested form. The amount that would need to be used would have to be extremely miniscule to be able to pass health regulations. For the sake of this article, say that all red tape was passed and one of these beers hit the markets. The benefits would be obvious. For all those people who socially smoke or like a cigarette when they’re drinking, this would completely satisfy that urge, as they would be getting the nicotine from the beer itself.
Remember, nicotine on its own is not the killer in cigarettes, it’s all of the harmful byproducts in the cigarettes. Then again, in a sense you would just be exchanging one vice for another.
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