How Bottle Color Affects Beer Taste

Beer is typically packaged in one of three different bottle colors: brown, green and clear. Now, selection of the bottle colors usually boils down to a marketing decision – what looks good with the corresponding label and logo. From a beer protection standpoint, brown bottles offer the most bang for the buck.

The brown tint of the glass protects (but not completely) the beer from wave-lengths of blue light that cause beer to become skunked. Green and clear bottle offer virtually no protection from damaging light and therefore make the beer much more susceptible to becoming skunked.

Beer bottles that use completely opaque bottles and therefore keeping light away from the beer offer the best protection. Think of opaque bottles as the ultimate Trojan equivalent for beers.

In short, light exposure is bad, bad, bad when it comes to beer. Even beers that are sitting in the grocery store under flourescent light is susceptible to damage, especially those in lighter colored bottles.

A Few Commercial Beers and the Color of their Bottles:

Brown Bottles: Bass, Brooklyn Lager, Dos Equis, Negro Modelo, Pacifico, Quilmes, and Red Stripe.

Green Bottles: Becks, Heineken, and Molson.

Clear Bottles: Corona, Sol, Tesoro

What does skunky beer taste/smell like?

Here’s an experiment that you can do: Take two fresh non-skunked bottles of a hoppy beer such as Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and pour one bottle into a drinking glass and keep the other bottle away from direct sunlight. Let the one in the glass sit in the sun for 5-10 minutes an then smell and taste both the glass of beer that was exposed to sunlight and the beer that was not exposed. You should get an idea of what skunked beer tastes like from the sun exposed glass of beer.

So How Does A Beer Become Skunked?

Ultraviolet light is the uber enemy when it comes to beer. Hop-derived molecules known as isohumulones (they contribute to the bitter taste of beer) are torn from each other when exposed to UV light causing them to bind to sulfur atoms and in effect producing the skunked aroma.

Why is it called “skunk”, “skunky”, “skunked”?

It’s because the odor is reminiscent of the smell that skunks release when they are in defensive mode. In other words, skunked beer is unappealing to the taste buds.

Ice Ball Maker

This device makes perfectly cylindrical ice ball and I’m not sure why I want one but I do. The 3″ x 3″ ice ball mold is made out of silicon and will be available for sale mid-February at MUJI Ice Maker. Granted that an ice ball made with the ice ball maker will be no different from your typical ice chip when it come chilling your drink – but it will chill in style.

How to make an ice ball:

1) Attach top and bottom parts. Please close it tight.

2) Pour water from top hole. Do NOT fill water completely, please keep a little space on the top.

3) Push top part to make sure there is no space in between, then store in freezer.

4) Slow freezing will make better ice than fast freezing. (Fast freezing will cause crack on ice)

Buy the Ice Ball Maker from MUJI Ice Maker for $11.75.

Stelton My Water Bottle

Who thought a water bottle could look so sexy? The new reusable My Water Bottle from Stelton offers a different take on the ubiquitous H20 carrier. Buying bottled water is wasteful. Instead, pick up one of these to help keep yourself hydrated while looking good at the same time. No word yet on pricing.

“My” water bottle from Stelton is your personal water bottle – just a bit more stylish than an ordinary recyclable bottle. The bottle takes 0.5 litres and you can find space for it in any bag. My water bottle is a container with a handgrip in a choice of colours, red, midnight blue and light blue. The bottle has a removable top formed like a bottle neck and a close-fitting lid. The top as well as the lid can be removed making it into a drinking glass. The bottle, top and lid may be washed in the dish washer and the grip may be washed at 30 degrees in the washing machine.”

Shark Fin Citrus Presser

This neat concept piece from Mike Mak Design caught my eye while I was perusing his impressive portfolio. At first I thought the fin was ice whose sole purpose was to chill the juice. Upon closer examination of the photos I think that the fin, instead, is functionally there to act as a juicer, which is pretty neat. But how cool would it be if the fin was indeed ice and could also serve as a orange presser. I’d buy that mold + presser combination!

ManTeas

ManTeas is the newest project from Zoomdweebie’s, the guys behind 52Teas, and is a tea site dedicated to making teas that are more appealing to men!

“Presently, it is a known fact that the specialty tea drinking market consists primarily of women. Is that because men don’t drink tea? Hell no! Men have gone to war over tea. No, it’s because most of the specialty teas out there have stuff like rosehips and lemon zest in them (what the hell is “zest” anyway?) and they are packaged and merchandised to appeal to women. What guy is going to pick up a box of Cozy Sleepytime Tea with a pajama’d teddy bear on it? Not this guy. So, we here at Zoomdweebie’s (where we are “Nerdy About Tea”) have started this website to showcase only the manliest of teas. You won’t find any rose petal teas here, or any teas that smell like your grandmother’s air freshener. This is man tea country.”

The site features such man-centric teas like Smoky Bacon, Maple Bacon, Mayan Chocolate, Coffee Tea and RadioactiviTea! I’m super curious as to how both the Maple Bacon Tea and RadioactiviTea taste like. I’m a fan of anything bacon because we all know that as bacon intake increase so does our joy and vigor for life – joy and bacon have a linear relationship!

Have you tasted either of these teas? If so, let me know! I am interested to know what you thought about them!

Buy Man Teas from ManTeas.com starting at $7.99.

Wine 101: Demystifying Wine Bottles

Wine is a complicated drink, we know this and that is why at Call Me Thirsty we have the Wine 101 Series! Our aim is rid the confusion that comes with wine so that we can enjoy this wonderful drink without being totally confused by it. In this Wine 101 post I hope to demystify a few things about wine bottles. To do this I’ve created a little graphic for you all to enjoy, that includes six of the major bottles shapes that wine comes packaged in. Intertwined in the graphic you’ll find some fun facts about the bottles.

Click on the graphic and take a closer look at it!

Download Desktop Wallpaper | Purchase an 11×17 Poster Print

Bottle Types

German wine bottles tend to be narrow and tall. You’ll also find that Rhine, Mosel, and Alsace wines are packaged in these narrow and tall bottles that have little or no punt (see below for a description of what a punt is). If you’re picking up a Riesling, chances are that it is packed in this bottle type. This type of bottle is also known as having a Hock shape.

Champagne bottles must have thick walls to withstand the pressure of the carbon dioxide bubbles inside of it. These bottles are typically described as having sloping shoulders. Champagne bottles typically have a very pronounced punt.

Red and White Burgundy bottles tend to have a tall shape with sloping shoulders. You’ll find Pinot Noir and Chardonay packaged in this bottle type. This bottle has a small punt and thicks walls to help contain the pressure of these wines.

Sherry, Port and Bordeaux bottles feature straight sides and high shoulders. Red wines like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Malbec feature this bottle shape, as do white wines like Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon. These bottles have a very pronounced punt. The Bordeaux type bottles has also been called a Claret and Souterne.

Chianti bottles are reserved for the red Italian wine produced in Tuscany. These bottles feature a squat bottle that is usually enclosed in a straw basket.

Sizes

The graphic above shows some of the most popular wine bottle sizes. A standard bottle of wine contains 750 mL (or 0.75 cL).

On The Ladder:
Quarter ( aka Piccolo) = 0.188 Liter (smallest)
Half = 0.375 Liter
Full = 0.75 Liter
Magnum = 1.5 Liter

On The Floor:
Jeroboam = 3 Liter
Methuselah = 6 Liter
Salmanazar = 9 Liter
Balthazar = 12 Liter (largest)

There even more bottle sizes but the above are the most common and the most important for you to know.

Wine Bottle Colors

Dark Green: These bottle are said to be able to protect the wine from sunlight. You’ll usually find red wine packed in dark green bottles.

Light Green: Dry white wines are often kept in light green bottles.

Brown: Wine produced in Mosel (regions in France, Luxembourg, and Germany) and Alsace (Alsace region in France) often come packaged in brown bottles.

Clear: These bottles have generally been reserved for sweet whites but have also come to be used for whites in general.

Sometimes wineries use non-traditional colors to individualize their wine. An often used non-traditional color is blue.

What’s a Punt?

A punt is the little dimple or “kick-up” that you’ll find at the bottom of the wine bottle. Historically, the punt originated from the free blowing technique used to make the wine bottles. The punt also aids in preventing the bottle from tipping over when it is standing up and consolidates the collection of sediment at the bottom of the bottle.

Beer Cupcakes Made From Newcastle, Guinness and Blue Moon

Etsy member, Cacao Bakery has been offering up some very unique basked items at her online bake shop. She calls them Beer Cupcakes, and as you might have guessed, they are cupcakes made from beer! She offers them in three flavors, Chocolate Guiness, Chocolate Newcastle, and Orangey Blue Moon. The cupcakes are handmade from scratch and she even offers to perfect a recipe for you if you’ve got a favorite beer that you’d like to see made into a cupcake! I need to taste these.

“12 cupcakes ship with frosting in a separate container (so they aren’t smashed in shipping). Alcohol is cooked out during baking so anyone can enjoy them! All of our gourmet sweets & treats are handmade from scratch using all natural and organic ingredients and are always fresh to order, so please allow 2-3 days before shipping.”

Buy Beer Cupcakes from Cacao Bakery for $30 per 12 pack.

Mobile Phone Runs on Coke

London based designer Daizi Zheng created this Nokia concept eco-friendly phone that does not run on batteries, but instead uses Coca-Cola. The device uses the sugar found in the coke to power the fuel cells found on the device. Of course, you could use any sugar based power product to power the fuel cells but saying that the phone runs on Coke instantly makes the story sexy. Not sure if you’ll be able to find this at your local AT&T , Verizon or T-Mobile store anytime soon, but it is fun to think about the power of science.

“This is a client project aimed at designing an eco-friendly phone for Nokia. As a result of my research, I discovered that conventional phone batteries are: expensive, harmful to the environment and difficult to dispose of. In addition, the conventional battery manufacturing process consumes many valuable resources. The concept is based on the idea to create a pollution free environment by using bio-batteries as an alternative to conventional batteries. A bio-battery is an ecologically friendly, energy supply system which uses enzymes as a catalyst to generate electricity from carbohydrates (currently sugar). In order to use the bio-battery as a power source for the phone all that is required is a small supply of a sugary drink. Once the battery dies only oxygen and water remains. Bio-batteries are fully biodegradable and have, on a single charge, a potential life-span three to four times longer than conventional lithium batteries. Meanwhile, bio-batteries are a whole new way of looking at batteries and afternoon tea.”

Via TreeHugger.

How To Choose A Tea Infuser Flow Chart

Choices are what make living life a great thing and when it comes to choosing a tea infuser there are a lot of choices. This flow chart helps to break down the different products that you can use to steep your loose leaf tea based on the situation that you are in. The flow chart is a little involved so you might want to click on the preview image below to get a closer look! In fact, I urge you to click on the preview image to see the flow chart in all its glory!

Hopefully you’ll find a tea infuser that is perfect for your needs! All of the products listed on the flow chart are linked below to make life easier for you!

If you enjoyed this article and loved the flow chart please let me know by leaving a comment! If  you know someone that might be interested in tea then please feel free to pass on this blog post by mentioning it on Twitter, Facebook or on your own personal site – I would definitely appreciate it! Happy Brewing!

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Featured Products

Progressive Stainless Steel Mesh Tea Ball 2″ by Progressive Products, $2.50 at Amazon.

Blomus 6-1/4-Inch Teastick by Blomus, $20.15 at Amazon

Stainless Steel Zack Volta Tea Ball with Stand, £13.95 at Proleno.

TriniTEA by Adagio Teas, $99

IngenuiTEA by Adagio Teas, $19

Concert Teapot by Adagio Teas, $59

Primula Pumpkin Teapot by Primula, $29.99

French Press Portable Tea Pot by Mighty Leaf, $29.95

Tea Top Brew Mug by Mighty Leaf, $16.95

Mirabelle Glass Teapot by Teavana, $59.95

Perfect Tea Ball by Teavana, $12.95

Yellow “Tea” Submarine

Okay, so this Yellow Tea Submarine by Ototo Design might not make your tea taste better but it might make brewing tee just a little bit more enjoyable. If you’re a Beatles fan then this unique steeping device will bring a smile to your face. Pair the Yellow Tea Submarine with some white tea and a glass mug and you’ll be set!

“The TeaSub submerges tea leaves to the bottom of your cup, creating the perfect infusion of your favorite brew. Made of silicone. Dishwasher safe.”

Buy the Yellow Tea Submarine from Monkey Business (Price To Be Announced).