The stuff Miller uses to be able to use clear glass bottles

Hi all,

I just stumbled across this funny find: Food Lion's "Beer of the Month" is Bud Light! The description commends its 'choice hops'.

http://www.foodlion.com/InStore/BeerAndWineCorner/BeeroftheMonth

I have heard, but can't seem to find a lot of research on, what large companies like Miller (and I'm assuming Budweiser and others) use to be able to use clear bottles. I'm under the impression its some sort of hop oil that has certain compounds removed so that the beer won't skunk. Does anyone know more about it?

I'd really like to be able to comment on those "choice hops" when having future discussions about such quality brews as these!

Given their other selections ad dollars talk!

Do they use clear bottles???? I've only seen brown. (granted I don't look too close too often)

I think it's all in the process. And that process is known as "sell it fast, make a bunch more, then sell that fast also."

Just based on the last taste of Miller beer that I had, I'd say they use cat urine...

cheezydemon3 said:

Do they use clear bottles???? I've only seen brown. (granted I don't look too close too often)

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You are thinking of Miller Lite... Maybe the OP is referring to MGD.

Cat pee LMOA

They can do it because there is hardly any hop humulone in these beers. A picture of a hop cone was waved in front of the fermenter 3 times before packaging, so skunking is not much of an issue. It's also made for quick consumption, it doesn't see a lot of daylight between the truck and your refrigerator.

Thunder_Chicken said:

They can do it because there is hardly any hop humulone in these beers. A picture of a hop cone was waved in front of the fermenter 3 times before packaging, so skunking is not much of an issue. It's also made for quick consumption, it doesn't see a lot of daylight between the truck and your refrigerator.

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Ahem! The hop picture was waved in front of it 3 times.......don't exaggerate!

I thought that the bottles were passed in front of a simulated hop cone on the way to the boxing line???

Wait....NON-skunked Miller? They make a non-skunked version?

cheezydemon3 said:

Do they use clear bottles???? I've only seen brown. (granted I don't look too close too often)

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I guess that's true, I'm thinking more of Miller High Life — except for stuff like Bud Light Lime, which is in a clear bottle.

My first (and last case) of MGD was purchased in college. I actually started homebrewing in the dorm after that experience. Beer brewed with 1980s vintage dusty Cooper's pre-hopped LME kits in my dorm microwave and carbonated in old plastic soda bottles beat the piss out of MGD (and still does)

Thunder_Chicken said:

They can do it because there is hardly any hop humulone in these beers. A picture of a hop cone was waved in front of the fermenter 3 times before packaging, so skunking is not much of an issue. It's also made for quick consumption, it doesn't see a lot of daylight between the truck and your refrigerator.

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I think it's tetra-hop extract they wave in front of the fermenter. May not be three times, though, lest flavor or aroma result.

Thunder_Chicken said:

My first (and last case) of MGD was purchased in college. I actually started homebrewing in the dorm after that experience. Beer brewed with 1980s vintage dusty Cooper's pre-hopped LME kits in my dorm microwave and carbonated in old plastic soda bottles beat the piss out of MGD (and still does)

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That's awesome!

Sorry for the double post but in case anyone is interested I stumbled across a thread on BeerAdvocate that explains this a little more clearly (or attempts to): http://beeradvocate.com/community/threads/hops-act-as-a-preservative.25169/

Bud Light Lime clone anybody?

In all seriousness, you can avoid lightstruck flavors when using clear glass by instead using Tetrahydro Isomerized or Rho-IAA hop extracts like these: http://hopunion-com.securec19.ezhostingserver.com/1021_TetrahydroIsomerizedHopExtract.cfm?p4=open http://hopunion-com.securec19.ezhostingserver.com/1019_ReducedKettleExtract.cfm?p4=open

Take a look at pps 73, 74 in Brew Chem 101, by Janson. It has a drawn pic showing blue-green light forming a free-radical, which reacts with hydrogen sulfide to give a molecule of what looks like a crotyl thiol, similar to skunk odor.
I know, as I shared a lab w/ the guy who studied the odor of the spotted skunk.
The light cleaves humulone, which has double bonds. The stuff described in HopUnion has had its double bonds reduced(got rid of). That's what tetrahydro means. Pretty clever!

miller lite recipe:
11 oz tap water
1 oz rot-gut vodka
pinch of newt belly
3 crappie scales
1 turd of leopard frog
they dont make glassware for this, drink from the bottle while enjoying the rusted cap taste as you mumble to yourself.. "canned beer sucks".

You forgot urine