What do you get when you combine craft brewers’ uninhibited innovation and millennials’ attraction to sparkly things? You get glitter beer, folks.
Yes, as if pink, glittery gin wasn’t enough, glitter beer is also a real thing we’re grappling with this week. It’s happening at breweries across the country, including Three Weavers Brewing of Inglewood, Cal., Seabright Brewery of Santa Cruz, Cal., and Bold Missy Brewery of Charlotte, N.C., reports Beth Demmon in Munchies.
One brewer, Erica DeAnda of Minocqua Brewing in Minocqua, Wis., even says she’s “smitten with [glitter beers],” reports Munchies. Having brewed a few in her career, she says, they “bring a new level of uniqueness to a beer.”
Before you get your panties, boxers, briefs, or bathing suit bottoms (don’t judge, it’s laundry day) in a bunch, consider this: Brewers, at certain times, just want to have fun! And although we personally try to avoid the sparkly stuff, we still respect a brewer who is willing to take a break from the serious grind to let in a little eye-catching experimentation, even if that means edible glitter making its way into our favorite beverage.
Plus, let’s not forget: Throughout the everyday trials of life, love, and the pursuit of hoppiness, each of these brewers spends plenty of time being serious, supporting their communities, and working hard to keep people happy. So, why not let them put smiles on their own faces?
Many behind the glitter trend credit Three Weavers for their creations, citing Three Weavers’ Mel’s Sparkle Pony, a glittery IPA, as inspiration. Glitter beers to follow have included Bold Missy’s Trapper Keeper, a saison with lemon and pink peppercorn brewed as a tribute to Lisa Frank; and Seabright Brewery’s Mermaid Tail, a golden ale with blood orange and lemon drop hops.
According to DeAnda, Munchies reports, peeing glitter should not be an issue, as the body breaks down edible glitter quickly enough that it won’t reach your kidneys.
The glitter used in the beer is food-safe and FDA approved. Whether it’s sanity safe is up for debate, but hey, girls just want to have fun, right? And, as Demmon suggests, the “quintessentially ‘girly’ garnish” is perhaps these brewers’ way of “reclaiming their right to femininity in beer, even as they fight rampant sexism in the beer industry.” Unlike other misguided gendered beers, Demmon adds, “glitter beer is intended for everyone to enjoy.”
