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.

Dissecting Beer

Let’s dissect our favorite drink, beer! No need for a scalpel, the hard work has been done. Just follow this chart provided by Call Me Thirsty and dissect your way through this frosty glass of beer. We start with the aroma of the beer and work our way down to the frothy head of the beer. Color is also important as is carbonation. We all enjoy a good flavorful beer but the alcohol is probably what most people look forward to when enjoying a cold one.

Mugen Beer Infinite Beer Can

OK so this product is definitely a novelty, but, you have to admit that it’s ingenious! The act of popping open a cold one, for one reason or another, is just as gratifying as drinking the actual product. It’s the sound, the act, the knowing that you’ll soon be sipping on a refreshing beverage that makes that first pop so good. Now you can relieve that moment over and over and over again. Pavlov would be be proud. If anything else, it makes for a great way to irritate the guy in the cubicle next to you at work.

“Of course, there isn’t any actually beer in there, but the feeling of popping it open will hold you over on Friday during work as you’re waiting for the weekend. When you do, you’ll get one of many sounds inside, from the classic opening crack, pouring, bubbles, or drinking sounds.”

Buy the Mugen Beer Infinite Beer Can from Japan Trend Shop for $30.

Beer Wars DVD

I haven’t seen Anat Baron’s Beers Wars, but I definitely want to. It was screened in a few select cities but like most screenings, not in Hawaii. Boo Hoo for me. That means that the only way for me to get to watch this beer flick about a small town brewery going against corporate America (i.e. Anheuser-Busch) is to order direct from the Beer Wars Movie Shop. Thefilm will not be available for purchase anywhere else, including Amazon or Netflix, until next year.

“Beer Wars begins as the corporate behemoths are being challenged by small, independent brewers who are shunning the status quo and creating innovative new beers. The story is told through 2 of these entrepreneurs – Sam and Rhonda – battling the might and tactics of Corporate America. We witness their struggle to achieve their American Dream in an industry dominated by powerful corporations unwilling to cede an inch.”

DVD Features:

• Sound Mix 5.1
• 16:9
• Not Rated
• Runtime 89 minutes
• + 40 minutes of SPECIAL FEATURES

SPECIAL FEATURES include: Beer Wars Live Panel Discussion, Deleted Scenes and Trailer

Buy the Beer Wars DVD from Beer Wars Shop for $18.