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CNN Live At Daybreak
Interview of Maureen Petrosky, "Green Beer Expert"
Aired March 15, 2002 - 06:48 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Even those of us who are not Irish get excited about St. Patrick's Day. Oh yeah, and it's coming up this weekend. And, of course, it means all things green, including your brew.
With us this morning is green beer expert Maureen Petrosky. Green beer expert -- that's quite a title.
MAUREEN PETROSKY, FOOD STYLIST: Yeah, well -- you know, beer maid, beer expert, whatever you want to call me.
COSTELLO: I never understood how people could drink green beer, because it just looks disgusting.
PETROSKY: Actually, all it is is food coloring. It's just like the Chicago River, the big -- colored green. It's food coloring, so it's harmless, it doesn't change the flavor or the integrity of the beer.
COSTELLO: It's harmless, so it's not exactly like the Chicago River, but -- OK, but you're going to show us how to do it...
PETROSKY: Exactly.
COSTELLO: ... and how much to put in not to make it too green.
PETROSKY: Not to make it too green. This is it. It's food coloring.
COSTELLO: OK.
PETROSKY: And you can get this in any grocery store. And these are the better bottles to get, because they have the dropper top.
COSTELLO: Got you.
PETROSKY: So...
COSTELLO: And, of course, you could only make green a light- colored beer.
PETROSKY: Right. So we chose the Harp lager. And most Americans choose to drink lagers. American breweries...
COSTELLO: We don't like dark beer?
PETROSKY: We're actually buying and consuming more dark beer now than ever. But, lager is the favorite of Americans. So we go for the lighter colors.
COSTELLO: Got you. So two drops?
PETROSKY: One, two, and that's it. You want to be really careful.
COSTELLO: You don't stir it -- oh, you do stir it.
PETROSKY: I am going to stir it just a little so you can get to see.
COSTELLO: Because you don't want a big foamy thing on top, right?
PETROSKY: You don't. Well we don't like that, but the Irish do.
COSTELLO: They drink the foam -- all that foam on top?
PETROSKY: Right.
COSTELLO: They're hard core those Irish.
PETROSKY: They're -- they actually pour their beers specifically to preserve that foam on top. So you'll see on Guinness and the Irish ale like Caffrey's, they have pouring instructions right on the packaging, so...
COSTELLO: But we have you, so we don't need those instructions. So let's pop open this can.
PETROSKY: Exactly, so -- careful.
COSTELLO: That would have been bad.
PETROSKY: These cans have...
COSTELLO: Here, you take it.
PETROSKY: These cans have a nitrogen release system within them. The Guinness and this Irish ale also.
COSTELLO: A nitrogen release system?
PETROSKY: Yes. So -- there's actually a cartridge in the bottom of this container. And you want to pour it almost immediately after you open it. And we'll pour it slowly down the side. And you can see, this is a lot creamier than the Guinness.
COSTELLO: Oh, gosh, it looks like a milkshake.
PETROSKY: So -- well, they say that these ales are beer that you can eat with a fork. COSTELLO: That just does not sound good to me. There are beer tasting parties sort of like wine tasting parties.
PETROSKY: There are.
COSTELLO: Beer has become very gourmet.
PETROSKY: It has. Well, actually, Americans have been drinking beer a lot longer than they've been drinking wine. So more and more, it's becoming accepted. So I'll turn this down now. And what you want to see here is -- just like a Guinness, you want to let this settle.
COSTELLO: Got you.
PETROSKY: That Guinness has settled. So you can see that there.
COSTELLO: And that's how you want to serve it on St. Patty's Day.
PETROSKY: And how that's how you want to serve it.
COSTELLO: I can't taste beer in the morning. It would just be too...
PETROSKY: Well, back to the beer tasting parties, you said, the lambic ales and Belgian ales are a lot more delicate than the beers we drink, and they do have some of the characteristics of wine. They're evaluated by appearance and smell and everything like that.
COSTELLO: OK. Well thank you for joining us this morning.
PETROSKY: Well thanks for having me.
COSTELLO: Happy St. Patrick's Day.
PETROSKY: Happy St. Patrick's Day to you too.
COSTELLO: Yeah.
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