End of the Woad

[Azurecybe]

So, blue is a color one does not often see in a non-fruit beer.

Woad is a traditional coloring used to dye cloth and is used in Chinese medicine. Everything I've seen indicates it's rather harmless and it does for sure impart a blue color. It may be bitter but I don't have any to taste as of yet.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isatis_tinctoria

I'm looking for thoughts on beer styles that would be good to add such an odd ingredient to color.

I'm thinking like adding a half ounce at 5 minutes left in the boil in a cream ale or some such and seeing how it turns out.

I look forward to your suggestions!

 

[KYB]

I guess it's not much different than this japanese brewery using seaweed to make a blue beer.

 

[Token]

Use seaweed to make a blue beer? Hmmmmm.....

In one of the Star Trek movies Kirk offers up some Romulan Ale at a dinner with Klingons. I was stoked to make a Romulan Ale until I saw it was blue.

So, seaweed you say...

 

[LandoLincoln]

Blue plus yellow makes what? Green. It makes green.

 

[KYB]

Awhile back I read it was some certain species of seaweed. Not just any ol' seaweed. This brewery has blue, red, and green beer. The same people that brought you "BILK!", beer+milk.

http://www.odditycentral.com/pics/blue-green-and-red-beer-from-japan.html

Blue plus yellow makes what? Green. It makes green.

This brewery disregards your color theory... It's also made with melted icebergs!

From what I've gathered, I think it would be difficult to classify this as beer though. I don't think it has much malt, thus no green tint.

 

[Azurecybe]

So I'm going to put this on the list to fiddle with in the next year. Once complete and I figure a grist out I'll post the pics.

 

[TopherM]

Sounds expensive. Why not just use food coloring from the grocery store? Oderless, tasteless, about $2.00 an ounce. It's what my local brewery uses to color beer green on St. Patty's.