yeah I don't want to bash this idea but I will say that I "grew out" of wanting to drink green beer on St.Patty's day when I **** green the next day.
I agree with the statement Stout > Green.
I tend to associate green beer with that of drunken Frats/****** baggery now.
I can understand your point of view. The idea that celebrating St. Patrick's day with a traditional Irish style beer is something I can agree with. And, yes, I know a lot of fraternity ****** bags will be coloring Miller Lite or Coors Light green and dressing like leprechauns.
I am not sure how other cities in America celebrate St. Patrick's day but Pittsburgh has always had a huge parade and made a huge day out of it. I would guess it is due to the huge amount of Irish immigrants that lived here. I wouldn't say they condone the amount of drinking in the streets that goes on but I would say that they dont try to hamper it.
As long as I have been able to drink and even before that, St. Patrick's day has been highly anticipated. My friends and I always celebrate with traditional types of food and drinks. I always make a huge amount of corned beef, potatoes and cabbage for people to eat. Last year we drank Jameson Irish whiskey and Guinness while we watched Boondock Saints.
So this year creating a beer that will be green out of the bottle is something that I want to be able to surprise my friends with. Its not going to be exclusively the only beer. I am sure that someone will bring a good stout to the party.
I have yet to understand how adding a slight bit of color to a beer that is essentially just an average homebrew can cause so many people to act is if I am breaking one of the ten commandments.
The reason I decided to even document the process or post information on this site about it was because I know there are a lot of people that want to try it. But they are too meek to ask on here for fear of being bashed to death without getting any real answers.
So, again, to each there own. I brew for my friends, family and myself. If green beer will will excite them and they will enjoy it then I am going to do it. This site has a wealth of information and I have learned so much from just searching and lurking here. It also has a lot of people who are stubborn and stuck in the "traditional" ways that beer should be made and consumed. If you want to split hairs, without people going outside of the realm of what is generally accepted there would have been very few advancements in the drink that we love. I am not saying that adding green food coloring is by any means a breakthrough in home brewing but you get the point.
Thanks,
Jimmy