Turning beer green
Three ways to colour your brews just in time for St. Patrick’s Day
Green dye is a staple of St. Patrick’s Day. It is used to colour everything from pancakes and pints of beer to bodies of water.
But why use artificial food colouring droppers when you can go green naturally, an example set by the Chicago Plumbers Unions, which has been dyeing the Chicago River green for decades with 40 pounds of a topsecret, vegetable-based additive.
For many years before they made the switch, the river was dyed with as much as 100 pounds of an unnatural fluorescein dye, which faced criticism from environmentalists in the ’60s, leading to the natural alternative used today.
Since their recipe is secret, we sought out three natural alternatives to artificial food colouring that are touted on health food blogs as much for their purported nutritional benefits as their ability to green food and beverages.
The natural ingredients tested are rich in vitamins, minerals, protein and antioxidants.
You’ll get none of that from a cheap artificial food colouring dropper.
But how good is the green? We tested each additive with different types of beer to see which provides not only the best taste, but the best colour for St. Patrick’s Day festivities.
These untrained pours resulted in some especially foamy pints, but the colours showed themselves best in the head of the beer. Test 1: Wheat grass
The test: Stir a small scoop, about1tsp (5 mL), of wheat grass powder (or a similar small amount of wheat grass juice) into a small amount of beer at the bottom of a glass, or in a separate mixing dish, until dissolved. Combine with the remainder of beer into a pint glass.
The result: Wheat grass gives the beer a slightly yellow-green hue, which is not the most St. Patrick’s Day of greens, but it does the job. It tastes unsurprisingly like blended grass, which is not necessarily a bad thing de- pending on your palate. Combine wheat grass with a lager for the brightest yellow-green, but the colour holds up well in darker ales too.
The rating: 7/10 Test 2: Chlorella
The test: This powder is a green algae similar to the trendi- er blue-green algae called spirulina. Stir 1 tsp (5 mL) of the powder into a small amount of beer in a glass or separate dish until dissolved and combine with the remainder of the beer.
The result: The hue and taste of the chlorella-infused beer are harsh. If you can stomach a slight metallic taste in your brew and want an edgier green, this could be the best bet. But when used with a dark stout, the green is barely discernible, only coming through in the right light or if the pour is particularly foamy. Use a lager for this algae beer. The rating: 3/10 Test 3: Matcha The test: Since matcha is a more common beverage choice than the above additives, feel free to mix in more than a single teaspoon of this green tea powder. We used Aiya Matcha To Go packs here. Stir the powder into a small amount of beer until dissolved and combine with the remainder of beer in a pint glass. The result: The hue is the perfect green. You’d almost expect it was artificial food colouring. If the drinker doesn’t mind the mild green tea taste in their lager, get mixing. The rating: 9/10 Conclusion: None of these are likely to satisfy the palate of a beer purist. They give each beer a distinctly earthy taste. But opt for matcha for the best green and the easiest flavour to swallow.