it seems DBIx::Class is a little sensitive when using a scalar...

Don't confuse scalar for string just because a scalar often holds strings. They aren't the same. A hash ref can be put into a scalar ( my $hash_ref = \%some_hash or my $x = {}) and hash refs are the only kind of argument DBIC takes for its search and options clauses: never strings. There is no way to (safely and reliably) separate out the bind values and parse the intention of the tree from a string. Compare your original with what is necessary-

print "ID => $id, color => $color1", $/;
print { ID => $id, color => $color1 }, $/;
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