Do you REALLY need to keep bottles in the dark?

So I was always told that while bottles are carbing up you're supposed to keep them in the dark. BUT if I am using brown bottles, do you really need to?

Don't wanna waste a batch of beer but anyone ever carb them up on just an open shelf (i.e. not in the dark)?

i dont keep them in the dark. I wouldnt want them say next to a bright window like a plant but by no means do they need to be kept entirely in the dark

IF you're going to age it you might as well cover them, or if you're a slow drinker like me. If it's almost a guarantee they wont be around over a month or 2.. Not a huge point but still, a bright window or sunroom sounds like a bad idea, especially for a hoppy beer.

Brown bottles should be safe in most conditions, but they aren't completely safe from light exposure. I wouldn't put them anywhere prone to direct sunlight.

clone63 said:

IF you're going to age it you might as well cover them, or if you're a slow drinker like me. If it's almost a guarantee they wont be around over a month or 2.. Not a huge point but still, a bright window or sunroom sounds like a bad idea, especially for a hoppy beer.

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It'd be on an open shelf in my kitchen which has no natural light (nearly windowless apartment). Only overhead lighting. I do tend to keep them for a while (up to 6 months) but then again nothing I brew is Hoppy.

If I don't age them in the dark what happens?

bassclefbrewing said:

If I don't age them in the dark what happens?

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In those conditions, not much.

If you had a room that received a lot of midday sun exposure, leaving the bottles out in the sun would eventually cause the hops to go skunky (even in relatively non-hoppy beers). Brown bottles offer more protection than green or clear ones, but they're not totally immune to the effects...only cans are.

Clear bottles offer no light protection. Some beers like miller high life and grain belt premium use hop extract oils that do not skunk with UV exposure. Green bottles filter out 20-30% of UV. Brown bottles filter out somewhere north of 95%, but that means that some light/wavelengths are still getting through.

Now best way to illustrate the effects are to take a pale ale or IPA out on the deck with you. Try some right after pouring out of the bottle. Then place in the sunlight for 5-10 minutes. The difference should be fairly obvious. And unwelcome (unless its Corona, which in my book must be skunked to taste right). It's a fast reaction.

I doubt you get much strong UV light in an artificially lit room, but why take the chance? Mine are either in 12 pack containers in dark areas or in the fridge ready for consumption.