Maundy Thursday, or Zelený čtvrtek (Green Thursday) as it’s known to the Czechs, is the last Thursday before Easter. Maundy Thursday commemorates the Washing of the Feet and Last Supper of Jesus Christ with his apostles. But where did the name Green Thursday come from?
One explanation is that in many places, before the thirteenth century, green vestments were used for the Mass that day. Another is that this is a reference to “the Green Ones,” the penitents who, being re-admitted to the Church, wore sprigs of green herbs to express their joy. It might have also been inspired by the fact that on that day, people were supposed to eat only green vegetables and no meat.
While consuming something green on this day is still a tradition, the younger generation has traded in the spinach for zelene pivo, or green beer! Many Czech breweries produce special batches of green beer on Green Thursday and it is served on that day only.
Starobrno is one of the breweries in the Czech Republic that makes this green beer. The green color is actually natural and occurs during the brewing process. The beer is created by combining high-quality water, the best Moravian barley, and Saaz semi-early red hay. The beer is brewed traditionally for 2 mashes. Herbal liquor is added to the wort pan along with the hops during the boiling process. This herbal liquor is produced by the infusion of several types of herbs, including nettle in hot water.
Thanks to this method of brewing, the beer has a full taste and a pleasant bitterness. Green beer gains its strength by bottom fermentation which lasts eight days. Long maturation at 1 ° C rounds out the beer’s taste and gives it its typical bouquet and zest.
