Some things are just better with age. The most classic examples may be wine, cheese and whiskey, but these are far from the only goods that benefit from a few extra years of rest. Much like uncorking a 1947 Château Cheval Blanc right from the cellar, O’Sullivan’s in Lancaster, Pennsylvania is ready to unveil its own well-aged alcoholic beverage just in time for St. Patrick’s Day.
Andy O’Sullivan, who took over the third generation bar after his father’s forced retirement in 2009, has kept a large collection of unopened beer bottles in the bar’s basement since 1986. The result 37 years later? Green beer.
“We’ve all seen green beer before, but what most people don’t know is that it isn’t naturally like that. I hate to say it, but most bars just dye whatever stuff they already have. It ain’t right, but that’s the business,” said O’Sullivan.
While the aggressively Irish, yet primarily American man understands the barriers that prevent most establishments from serving their ales and lagers green organically, he wants to change the narrative surrounding the March tradition.
“It takes foresight. There’s no two ways about it. If you’re 40 and just opened a bar, you better hope you’ve been stashing away beer since you were three,” stated O’Sullivan. “And it’s gotta be bottles. Cans don’t work because after 10 or so years, it just tastes like drinking spicy aluminum. Not in the sense that it’s actually spicy, but it is for something you don’t expect to be at all.”
Whether someone is from Dublin or Bora Bora, O’Sullivan believes it’s important for people to keep tradition in mind when celebrating St. Patrick’s Day.
“Remember the Irish soil. Has it ever tasted like fresh wheat with an orange peel? Now, I don’t think so. It tastes like roots and it tastes like dirt,” said O’Sullivan. “If you want to pay tribute to Ireland, you have to represent it the right way. You can’t do that with a little bottle of food coloring. Punching everyone in the face as they walk through the door would be more authentic.”
O’Sullivan declined to say how much soil he’s actually eaten. However, his hesitance seemed more evocative of someone who ate a ton of dirt and doesn’t want to admit it than someone who lied about eating it in the first place.
Drinking beer that’s older than someone would’ve lived during the potato famine is undoubtedly a more authentic Irish experience. But there’s still one big question left to answer — which beer should be used? The answer isn’t what most might expect.
“I’m not doing this with Guiness. Storing Guiness for later would be like building a dam to stop water from reaching thirsty people — just plain unethical, really,” noted O’Sullivan.
A light beer seems like it might lose its flavor over time, whereas the dark hue of a stout may make it more difficult to notice when it turns green. So what should a bar looking to follow in O’Sullivan’s footsteps use? Just about anything else.
“It all comes down to what you like. Some might want the pus-like moldy film that develops over a Bud Light Platinum or a Natural Ice, but I myself prefer the musk and oil rag taste of something like a Steel Reserve or an Olde English 800,” said O’Sullivan.
No matter what the plans are for St. Patrick’s Day, bar goers should keep in mind who they’re giving their business to. For some, a Miller Lite dyed green and served in a clear disposable cup is just the ticket. Otherwise, go somewhere like O’Sullivan’s where the beer drinks like corn beef and cabbage.
Photo courtesy of Czeva via Wikimedia
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