INDIANAPOLIS — Shake-Up, a ready-to-drink canned cocktail brand that operates out of its distillery at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, plans to throw one last party for its Delta-9 hemp beverage line before federal law forces the product off shelves nationwide.
The brand will host a prohibition-themed farewell event on Saturday, November 7th from 5 to 10 p.m. at the fairgrounds distillery. A federal ban on Delta-9 THC beverages, gummies, CBD products, and all hemp-related items takes effect in December, threatening to shut down a $30 billion industry across the United States.
Congress buried the prohibition inside a government spending bill passed in November 2025, catching many consumers and businesses off guard. Dan Fahrner, co-owner of Shake-Up, said most people still don’t know what’s coming.
“It was part of a government spending bill in November of 2025. There was a shutdown, and things reopened. However, as part of that bill, there was this prohibition that was added,” Fahrner explained. “There’s a lot of money. There’s a lot of businesses and livelihood at stake.”
The free event welcomes guests 21 and older with no admission charge and free parking. A DJ will provide entertainment while Cali Boys serves burritos and artisan vendors set up a marketplace. Shake-Up will sell its Delta-9 beverages at 40 percent off alongside its regular cocktails.
Fahrner added the Delta-9 line gained traction after the pandemic when consumers began drinking less alcohol. “A lot of people say it helps them with their anxiety; it helps them sleep,” he said. Shake-Up distributes the products nationally.
The brand distinguishes itself by using real ingredients in flavors like cranberry ginger and lemon shake-up. Fahrner emphasized the quality difference. “It just tastes like a delicious cranberry ginger cocktail,” he said, noting that unlike some competitors, their hemp beverages don’t taste like hemp.
Shake-Up recently saw a season where flooding caused several rain-outs, though a week of record attendance brought overall numbers to about average. The band debuted a pickle lemonade shake-up at the fair that proved popular, with inventory still available.
