Beer, Weed, and Blueberries. This Was Not the Plan
- Johnathan Martishius
- Jan 22
- 3 min read
Coastal Sun is best known for organic sun grown cannabis, but the farm was never built around a single crop.
Using the same organic and regenerative principles, we also grow a large amount of organic blueberries. Same sun. Same biology driven systems. The crop changes, but the way we farm does not.
Over time, we kept hearing the same thing from people who tasted the berries.
"These are the most blueberry blueberries I've ever tasted!" "Whoa, these are so terpy!”
More depth. More color. More presence. Not louder or sweeter in a fake way, just fuller and more complete.
We did not have a plan for where that would lead.
Our blueberries are grown organically using sun grown bioponic cultivation in pots. That means living soil systems where biology does the work, supported by organic inputs and regenerative practices. Bioponic growing gives us consistency and control, but still lets the soil and the plant do what they are meant to do.
Healthy systems create expressive fruit. That shows up not just in flavor, but in how the fruit behaves when you actually use it.
Somewhere along the way, something unexpected happened.
Through real relationships and shared curiosity, not a pitch, berries started getting shared with brewers. They tasted them. Asked questions. Tried working with them.
One of those connections, through Alex Cobb, led to Sante Adairius Rustic Ales using our blueberries in a saison that would be bottled and conditioned for months before release. Alex has been with Coastal Sun since the beginning and leads post harvest operations on the farm, overseeing everything from drying and curing through packaging. Before joining Coastal Sun, he worked in the craft beer world with respected breweries in Chicago, which made the overlap feel natural.
Sante is consistently recognized among the top breweries in the world and is known for being patient, precise, and uncompromising with their process.
This was not a quick turn beer. The fruit work happened early. The bottles rested. Everything took time.
Chris Pester of Sante Adairius, who worked directly with our blueberries during the brewing process, said it best.
“The color of the berries was unlike any others in its vibrancy and richness. It really shows in the beer’s color as well. As for the aroma, so much fresh blueberry on the nose. When using blueberry products in the past, it has been difficult getting anywhere near as much blueberry flavor and aroma as with the blueberries from Coastal Sun.”
The season before that, another relationship, sparked through Sinead Jonaidi, led to a collaboration with Homage Brewing. Sinead has been part of our marketing team for years and leads many of the events we host on and off the farm. Her main gig is as an international DJ, and through the music community she was connected to Homage, which helped the collaboration come together naturally.
Homage released Coastal Blue, a barrel aged Saison conditioned on our organic blueberries. They also used the same fruit to create a Saison Spritz paired with Pinot Noir grapes. Two very different expressions that both highlighted depth, structure, and balance.
What surprised us was not that one beer worked well. It was that it kept happening.
One brewery’s experience led to another wanting to try the fruit. Then another. Over time, this became something we now approach with intention.
Each season, we make it a point to support breweries that align with our values. Breweries that care about ingredients and respect the process.
We never set out thinking we would support some of the best breweries in the world. We are grateful it unfolded the way it did.
Keep an eye out for future collaborations, and if you are a brewer reading this and want to work with great fruit grown the right way, hit us up and we will make sure to reserve some fruit for you this year.
