The name "green beer" quite often refers to a semi-finished beer, that is, an unripe drink. However, thanks to the mastery of the brewers, the final color of the finished product can be changed to give it an emerald hue. Green Ale - an unusual, exotic drink. It is produced in the Czech Republic, China, Ireland, Australia, Germany, Japan and Russia.
What is green beer made of?
Most often, traditional ingredients (malt, hops, yeast) and secret ingredients are used for cooking. In China, for example, bamboo is added, in Japan and Australia - seaweed, in Russia - lime juice.
However, all these additives can change the taste of the drink. Therefore, in Ireland, ale is tinted with a blue dye, as this allows you to maintain the initial beer taste. A special beer is brewed in the Czech Republic according to a secret recipe - it has a pronounced green color and a bitter taste.
Green beer from China
Tanuki is a traditional Chinese beer made of bright green bamboo with a strength of not more than five degrees. The taste of this drink is not quite ordinary, but quite soft and pleasant, with grassy notes. Tanuki foam is not dense and quickly disperses. This drink goes well with shrimps, sushi, noodles, rolls, fried pork or beef.
For the manufacture of tanuki use a special grade of bamboo Psyllostachys, native to China. In September-October, the leaves are torn off, carefully sorted, dried, and then sorted. Subsequently, an extract is obtained from bamboo leaves, supplied to the USA and Europe, since the tree does not grow in these regions. In Canada, the juice and leaves of bamboo grown in greenhouses are used.
Chinese manufacturers adhere to traditional methods of brewing, only slightly changing the composition of the drink.
Beer is made by fermenting a grape must (rice or barley), adding hops to it. And as the main ingredient used juice or bamboo extract. The mixture is boiled, filtered, and after cooling, it is saturated with oxygen and brewer's yeast is introduced (most often bottom fermentation). After a few weeks, the mash is poured into barrels, and then into special tanks, in which the mixture is aged under high pressure and at a temperature of no more than two degrees. After that, green beer is filtered and bottled.
Chinese bamboo beer is quite a useful product, because it contains only natural ingredients, and the percentage of alcohol is low. Such a drink is able to remove toxins and toxins from the body.
You can try the cocktail "Fresh". The ingredients for it are gin (one part), green beer (four parts), ice and a sprig of mint.
Green Thursday and Zelene pivo
Not so long ago (since 2006) an unusual tradition appeared in the Czech Republic: on Good Thursday (Easter Eve) green beer is served in restaurants. This is explained by the fact that on Green Thursday (we call it Clean), priests of the country put on green robes.
Green beer (its name is Zelene pivo) is a thirteen-degree foamy drink made from traditional ingredients, but with the addition of an herbal extract. This gives the beer a natural green tint. Starobrno keeps the secret of the preparation in the strictest confidence.
In addition to Starobrno, the Lobcowicz brewery also produces green beer. There are two options for serving the drink: pure dark emerald beer and a two-layer drink, which consists of red (brown-red) and green beer.
Beer from Ireland
Every year on March 17, all of Ireland dresses in green and celebrates St. Patrick's Day. Earlier this day was of purely religious significance, today Irish pubs have become the central place for festivities. A few days before the celebration, literally everything in Ireland turns green - from beards and suits to beer.
Irish green beer, the composition of which is no different from ordinary, is tinted with blue food coloring, due to which it acquires a beautiful emerald hue.
Emerald beer. Cook at home
If you decide to surprise guests or brightly celebrate St. Patrick's Day, you can prepare green beer at home.
This will require:
- beer glass;
- a small amount of green dye (naturally, food grade);
- ordinary light beer;
- a spoon for mixing the resulting drink.
Manufacturing process:
- It is necessary to slowly pour beer into the glass (it is better to fill half or a third of the container).
- Add three to four drops of dye.
- Stir the contents slowly with a spoon.
- Top up the remaining beer to the top of the glass.
Instead of food coloring, you can use blue Curacao blue liquor (20 ml of liquor per half liter of beer). When it is added, the drink will also turn green (this cocktail, by the way, has the name "Green Dragon").
Interesting
In addition to the green beer described above, there are red ale Kilkenny and Hamanasu (produced respectively in Ireland and Japan), blue beer Ryuho Draft (Japan) and dark pink beer from Belgium Lindemans Kraek. Manufacturers surprise beer drinkers not only with various colors of their favorite drink, but also with all sorts of unusual tastes (milk, chocolate beer, etc.).