32
JUN/JUL 2018
CANNABIS COLUMN| PRODUCTS
MAGIC NUMBER
33
CANNABIS COLUMN
LEARNING TO BE STILL
Founders: Alex Berger & Dan Pilver
Website: www.drinkmagicnumber.com
Email: [email protected]
By John Size
In my last column I wrote about living a life in balance. I believe
that this is the recipe for learning to be still. What is balance to
me? For myself, balance is being in tune with my life, my body,
my constitution, so that physical, emotional (mental) and spiritual
aspects of my life are intertwined and complement each other.
When all three attributes are in balance one has the opportunity
to be still and experience peace that passes all understanding. In
a world frocked with chaos isn’t that we are all are desiring?
Feeling well physically is an important component. Without this
foundation the other important aspects of one’s life suffer. I have
the absolute joy of working at Jenny’s Dispensary in Bend. My
role is to work with clients, often health challenged, to help them
achieve their best with the most gentle medicine possible. I see
success stories repeated constantly. One such client is a delight-
ful woman named “Nita.” With persistent sleep and migraine
headache issues, Nita came to see me for options other than the
pharmaceuticals that she was taking. I could see pain in her face,
in her eyes, in the way she furrowed her brow. She was hurting.
Being in her late 60s, Nita was not at all interested in the THC
high (that does have significant pain-relief benefit). The non-psy-
chotropic but therapeutic qualities of CBD oil was of particular
interest. We spoke at length about this medicine, pros and cons,
dosage and delivery methods and the stigma (albeit reducing) of
using a cannabis medication. Fast forward two months. Nita is
sleeping well. Her migraines have disappeared and as she says “I
have this incredible feeling of well being”. Her smile is bright, her
eyes sparkle. Nita looks relaxed. But it’s not all just medicine as
a component to feeling physically well. It is about being outside,
feeling the warmth of the sun, breathing deep and feeling that
fresh, crisp air in your lungs. It’s about admiring God’s creation
and feeling very connected to it.
Often physical well being begets mental we ll being. As I’ve writ-
ten previously, being intentional and maintaining a sunny disposi-
tion is a daily walk for me. It’s that feeling that all is well so that
your soul smiles, not just your mouth. For me, part of this mental
success strategy in an effort to achieve mental balance includes
guarding what goes into one’s mind. There is a lot of crap out
there. Noise and fluff with no substance that can clutter one’s
mind. Rather than the noise and din of the world, filling one’s
thoughts with things that are precious and lovely would be a nice
change. Choose to be happy. Guard what goes into your mind.
Known nationally for its craft brewing culture, Bend can now boast one of the nation’s
first canna-breweries with locally owned Magic Number. With their ginger beer and cold
brew coffee, founders Alex Berger and Dan Pilver are bringing beverage culture into can-
nabis dispensaries across the state of Oregon.
Back in 2013, cannabis-infused drinks were only available to the medical market and
offered a healthier alternative to smoking flower. Like many in Bend, friends Berger and
Pilver saw a future in the world of craft brewing and explored options for different types
of beverages; given the number of beer breweries opening at the time, the two took an
alternate path and looked at markets that had not been explored. Keying off the develop-
ment of edible cannabis products, the pair created a proprietary method of emulsifying
cannabis into liquids and set out to make a high quality beverage to enjoy it from. Served
in the familiar beer bottle, Magic Number leaned on craft brew culture but tool it in a new
direction. Fast forward 5 years and Magic Number is a thriving brewery with two bever-
ages, each coming in at three different strengths...3mg, 10mg, and 25mg.
Magic Number’s most popular drink is their ginger beer, made with organic ginger sus-
tainably harvested in Peru and chosen over Chinese ginger because of its stronger flavor.
The rest of the ingredients are simple: pure cane sugar, lime juice, spices, delicious Bend
water, and a strain specific, full spectrum cannabis extract, which offers multiple cannabi-
noids to provide a full body and mind effect. The taste is tart and sweet with an explosion
of ginger flavor on your tongue. It takes a few seconds until the “bloom of heat” from the
ginger hits the back of your palate.. The ginger beer is slightly dry and not overly syrupy,
it makes a great mixer and goes well with any kind fruit juice. It’s a drinkable edible, good
for making cocktails and enjoying socially.
Magic Number also brews cannabis-infused cold-brewed coffee. The Guatemalan beans
are locally roasted by Bonsai Beans. The cold brew is very smooth, lightly sweetened with
cane sugar, and offers a very different experience than the ginger beer. Soft on the pal-
ate and with a little more caffeine than regular coffee, the cold brew gives off chocolate
notes if poured into a glass. . Again the infused coffee comes in 3mg, 10mg, and 25mg,
so choose your Magic Number carefully.
Currently Magic Number is sold in 135 Oregon dispensaries and a recent distribution re-
lationship with a cannabis-product wholesaler will help it offer its drinks across the state.
The product line will be growing with the addition of a 50mg strength of each drink, and
the 3mg ginger beers going to 1:1 THC:CBD. The same cannabis rules apply for edibles/
drinkables - no product is allowed to be sold across state lines.
As with other edibles, starting to explore a cannabis infused beverage should be done
with some caution. Some experimenting is in order to find your, “Magic Number”. The bev-
erages comes in three strengths of cannabis - 3mg, 10mg, and a 25mg. These numbers
represent the cannabis content and it’s good to start out low and allow ninety minutes for
full effect.
Magic Number welcomes visitors at its brewing facility on third street. No sales are
allowed there, but you can purchase a hat or grab a sticker and learn more about this
exciting beverage.
by Neil Korn
The third component in this balance equation is the component
of one’s spiritual life. We all have one, whether we admit it or not.
For me, my walk is in the Christian faith but I have also discussed
this with friends of other faiths and persuasions. We all seek
to learn to be still, to hear the quiet voice of God, however one
defines that.
Finding true balance in one’s life, this supernatural peace beyond
one’s understanding, is all of our goals. The physical component
(getting outside, having some sort of exercise regiment and
taking the least amount of medicine necessary to feel well), the
mental component (getting to the sunny side of the street as
often as possible, being intentionally cheerful) and the spiritual
component (and attitude of love, compassion and gratitude for
your creator and fellow man) all are elements that make up a life
in balance. With such balance can come stillness; one is able to
quiet down and find peace, serenity and renewal.
Learn to be still. Be intentional, live large in love and be well.