Sacrebleu! French brewers use algae to make blue beer

The beer is selling well, said Sebastien Verbeke, an employee of Hoppy Urban Brew, which makes the drink. “It’s getting an enormous amount of interest and curiosity on the part of the public,” he said.

Etika Spirulina owner Xavier Delannoy shows a powdered form of spirulina algae, used to produce the Line blue beer. (REUTERS/Ardee Napolitano)

The blue tint comes from spirulina, an algae that is grown in basins by a company called Etika Spirulina in northern France. The component of the spirulina that gives the blue colour, called phycocyanin, is then added to the beer during the brewing process.

Tasting a freshly produced bottle of the beer, brewery employee Mathilde Vanmansart described it as hoppy, light, and with fruity notes, while the only evidence of the added algae was the distinctive colour.

Xavier Delannoy, whose farm provides the spirulina, said after several test batches, the brewery had found a blend that appealed to customers.

He said 1,500 bottles of the blue beer were sold between October and December last year, and the brewery is now preparing to ramp up production to meet demand.

📣 For more lifestyle news, follow us on Instagram | Twitter | Facebook and don’t miss out on the latest updates!

Curated For You

Assam Assembly passes anti-polygamy bill; CM Himanta Sarma says ‘not against Islam’

As Assam BJP govt tables Nellie reports, a look back at the party during the agitation

Aland ‘vote chori’ traced to an ‘OTPbazaar’, Bengal, an ‘SMSAlert’, US