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Seven Spots to Sip St. Rains in New Orleans
Eat, Drink, Travel, Y'all
July 21, 2026 by Stephanie Forrer
"Cannabis beverages have been on the rise in New Orleans for years, and I’ve been a fan of the whole scene since moving here in late 2024. I think that I’ve tried them all at this point, but my favorite is easily St. Rains, which launched here in the Big Easy after hurricane Helene and then returned its headquarters to Asheville.
When my husband brought home a pack a few months ago, I was introduced to a new kind of cannabis seltzer. Something more artisanal, more intentional, not just something to drink at the bar like a beer but something you’d pair with the right dish or even the right mood. All three flavors are made with organic fruit juice and they’re absolutely delicious."
Drinking the Whole Plant
WNC Business
Q3 2026 by Emma Castleberry, Western North Carolina
"Founded by Bennett Christian, St. Rains produces cannabis beverages made with whole plant cannabis compounds and fruit juices, with terpene profiles designed to create specific flavor and sensory experiences.
The company is headquartered in Asheville and will begin manufacturing locally through Hi-Wire Brewing this summer."
In the Weeds: St. Rains moves cannabis drink production to Hi-Wire
MOUNTAIN XPRESS
April 16, 2026 by Gina Smith, Asheville, NC
"Through a new partnership with Hi-Wire Brewing, the Asheville-based St. Rains cannabis drink company is set to begin local production.
Launched in 2021, St. Rains founder and Asheville resident Bennett Christian notes the company has been manufacturing its organic fruit juice-based products..."
A New Craft
Self-Published
February 26, 2026
"With more breweries per capita than any other American city, Asheville has more than earned its 'Beer City USA' moniker over the last three decades. Now, a new generation of craft adult beverages is setting roots here in the mountains.
'There’s no better place to build and prove out a craft cannabis beverage than right here,' says Bennett Christian, founder of St. Rains."
My family works in hemp and bourbon. The rivalry must stop. | Opinion
Courier Journal
November 24, 2025 by Bennett Christian, Louisville, KY
"My father runs Big Easy Whiskey while I head St. Rains cannabis beverages with my mother, sister and other good folks. Unlike the lobbyists and lawmakers wrestling in D.C., we’re all rooting for each other’s success.
Following last week’s federal legislation to ban all consumable hemp in the US — a $30 billion industry that employs hundreds of thousands of Americans across the country — many are pointing to Big Bourbon as the driving force behind this ban."
St. Rains: Explaining the Craft: Cannabis Beverages
Asheville Independent Restaurants
November 20, 2025 by Bennett Christian
"St. Rains is a low-dose craft cannabis beverage based here in Asheville. This article will share more about what makes us craft within the broader THC beverage space that’s popping up everywhere these days.
As a starting point, the cannabis plant is a plethora of functional chemistry, generally broken into two categories: cannabinoids (think THC, CBD) and terpenes (think limonene, myrcene, humulene, etc.)"
Opinion: Medical Marijuana Industry Is Leading Fight Against Hemp
BIZ New Orleans
May 16, 2024 by Bennett Christian
"High prices, limited access and now trying to knock out hemp? It’s no wonder: Louisiana medical marijuana has been anti-competitive from the start.
Amid a host of false and misleading claims made about Louisiana’s burgeoning consumable hemp industry, it’s important to remember that the effort to knock out this industry is being driven by a competitor: the Louisiana medical marijuana industry."