Looking for a fun St. Patrick's Day drink? Then, you're going to love this vibrant Green Beer recipe! You'll have so much fun sipping this colorful drink which is super quick and easy to make. It's the perfect way to celebrate St. Patty's Day!
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St. Patrick's Day is just around the corner, which means it's time to celebrate! I am one quarter Irish, after all (ha).
We Americans have really run with this holiday, despite the fact that only about 10% of U.S. citizens claim Irish heritage. Everyone is a little Irish on St. Patrick's Day after all!
There are so many fun traditions surrounding this boozy holiday, so don't forget to wear green, unless you want to get pinched! It's also the perfect day to listen to Irish music, try corned beef and cabbage, or attend one of the many city parades you'll find around the country. Chicago even dies its river green!
Of course, you can't forget Green Beer, the beverage of choice for many "Irish for a Day" folks! Thankfully, this delicious drink is super easy to make at home, so you can enjoy all the fun of the day without crowding in to an overpacked bar.
So whip of a mug or two of this fun, festive drink and capture a little luck of the Irish for yourself ... all from the comfort of your own home!
Ingredients
You only need two ingredients to make this festive St. Patrick's Day drink:
- Beer - Of course, you'll need some beer! The key to making bright Green Colored Beer is to start with a light-colored beer. Light beers, such as a pilsner, IPA, or pale ale, are ideal. I used Miller Lite, which worked perfectly!
- Food Coloring - You'll also need green food coloring, and a few drops go a long way. If you're only making a couple beers, you can use that bottle of food coloring that's buried in the back of your pantry. To serve more people, this larger bottle of food coloring (which is what I used) would be perfect. And you'll have plenty left over to bake some St. Patrick's Day treats, too ... like these adorable Green Ombre Cakes!
Variations
Want to make a non-alchoholic version that everyone can enjoy? Simply add the food coloring to another clear (or lightly-colored) liquid, such as your fave seltzer or lemon-lime soda. NA beer works great too, of course!
You'll Also Need
To make your St. Patrick's Day beers extra festive, try serving them in these sturdy beer mugs! I love mine ... they're a great price and something you'll use year round.
How to Make Green Beer
This colorful green drink couldn't be easier to make, so let's go. You'll find a detailed recipe card with measurements below, but here's a quick overview:
- Add food coloring. Start by grabbing a large beer mug or pint glass. Then, add three (or more) drops of green food coloring. Tip: I used three drops for the beers I made, and it was more than enough to achieve a vibrant green color. If you'd prefer a darker color though, you can add an extra drop or two.
- Fill mug with beer. Once you've added the food coloring, pour your beer into the glass. Like I mentioned above, light-colored beers—like pilsners, IPAs, or pale ales—work best. I used Miller Lite.
- Enjoy! No need to mix, because as you pour the beer it will magically change color. It's so fun to watch!
And that's really all there is to it ... time to enjoy your festive Green Beer for St. Patrick's Day. Sláinte!
By the Pitcher
Want to make Green Beer by the pitcher? It's easy.
For this recipe, you are adding three drops of food coloring for every 12 ounces of beer, which is a standard size bottle. So if you have 48 ounce pitcher, then you'll need to add 12 drops. For a 60 ounce pitcher, add 15 drops. As I mentioned above, you can add more food coloring if needed, but I found that three drops per 12 ounces was plenty.
Tip: don't know how many ounces your pitcher holds? Fill it with water, measuring the cups as you go. One cup = eight ounces.
Related Recipes
Looking for more food and drink ideas to celebrate St. Paddy's Day? Try one of these recipes next:
- Green Pizza - One of my most popular recipes ... as tasty on March 17 as it is anytime of year!
- Massaged Kale Salad - A delicious green salad for your St. Patty's feast.
- Green Burgers - The tasty burgers are loaded green veggies. Yum!
- Vegan Irish Stew - Perfect for chasing away the chill on a cold winter day.
- Beer Bread - Pair it with a bowl of stew and your dinner is done.
- Mini Green Ombre Cakes - These petite cakes are easy to make and so cute.
- Shamrock Cookies - So cute and sure to bring you a little luck!
- Irish Coffee - Not green, but another American invention that's perfect for celebrating this fun holiday.
- Iced Irish Coffee - If you're a cold coffee lover, you have to try this fun twist on the classic recipe!
- Strawberry Banana Green Smoothie - The perfect morning treat!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
The key to making brightly-colored Green Beer is to start with a light-colored beer. Use your favorite light beer, such as a pilsner, IPA, or pale ale. I used Miller Lite, which worked perfectly!
Green Beer tastes like whatever kind of beer you used. The food coloring adds no flavor.
If you'd prefer not to use food coloring, you can experiment by adding other green ingredients, like wheat grass, spirulina, or matcha, to your beer. You could even swirl green candy in it. The downside to all of these alternatives is that they will flavor your beer.
St. Patrick's Day honors Saint Patrick, the patron saint and national apostle of Ireland, who is credited with bringing christianity to Ireland. This traditional feast day falls during Lent, and the usual restrictions on eating meat and drinking are waived for a day.
The Spokane Press first reported on a bartender serving this delightful green brew to thirsty Irishmen in 1910. However, the invention of Green Beer is usually attributed to Dr. Thomas Hayes Curtin, who mixed up a batch for his social club's St. Patrick's Day party in 1914. He used a laundry whitener called wash blue to concoct it (yikes!).
Regardless of who invented it (and the fact that it's not an Irish tradition), by the 1950s this colorful beer had caught on in the U.S. And we're still drinking it by the boatload to celebrate St. Patrick's Day today!
Green Beer
Ingredients
- green food coloring
- 1 (12-ounce / 355 ml) bottle beer (such as Miller Lite)
Equipment
Instructions
- Add three drops food coloring to a 16-ounce beer mug or pint glass.
- Pour beer into glass.
- Serve immediately. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
