Green Beer for St. Patrick's Day

St. Patrick's Day takes place on March 17th of every year. It's a day that is celebrated by people around the world, but originated in Ireland as a religious day to celebrate the teachings of Christianity by St. Patrick, the Patron Saint of Ireland. Because St. Patrick is the Patron Saint, the day became a national holiday.

Although the holiday is still a tradition in Ireland as well as other countries around the world, it is the United States and Canada that added the drinking of green beer to the tradition of St. Patrick's Day. The trend has widely caught on, as has wearing green clothing, so much so that if you ask any college kid today how he or she celebrates St. Patty's and you'd be sure to hear the definitive answer: "By wearing green and drinking green beer!" But if you happened to be in Ireland for the holiday, you probably wouldn't be able to even find the leprechaun-colored libation at any bar.

The tradition of wearing green was also made in the USA, and it's said to represent people showing their Irish roots or heritage for the day. In Ireland, they don't wear green to celebrate, but they do adorn their clothing with shamrock pins to symbolize the teachings of the holy trinity by St. Patrick.

Keeping with the tradition of using St. Patrick's Day as an excuse to throw a party, it's also not uncommon in the U.S. to see green-colored foods or pot-of-gold themed desserts on the appetizer table - next to the green beer or Guinness, of course.

Making Green Beer

Luckily for any party planner (or party-goer), making green beer is incredibly simple - so simple, in fact, that you won't even need to call upon beer brewing schools to do it. Here are the necessary supplies and steps to create the popular drink.

You'll Need:

Beer (light or dark colored)
Green food coloring (liquid, not gel)
A mug or glass

Instructions:

First, place two drops of green food coloring into the bottom of your beer mug or glass. Next, add the beer. You don't need to stir as pouring the beer will mix the liquids together on its own. That's it - you've got your green beer.

Items of Note:

Although two drops of green food coloring is enough to make your beer green, you may want to add more if you are looking for a darker shade. Do remember though that a little food coloring goes a long way, so don't put too many drops into one glass. Also, if you are using dark beer, the green color will naturally be darker. On another note, be careful when using the food coloring as it will temporarily stain your skin as well any clothing it comes in contact with.