This project has been on the back burner for a long time. It's been in the back of my mind that I'd eventually get serious about homebrewing for about ten years now, so I've been saving all all my Grolsch bottles during this time.
I like your project but I don't use green glass bottles.
http://www.ejwren.com/servlet/the-37/500-ml-AMBER-Flip/Detail
While these would be more of an upfront cost they will reduce bottling stress, and are reusable.
Excerpted from evansale.com/skunked_beer.html
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Excerpted from evansale.com/skunked_beer.html
Almost all beer contains hops. Hops give the beer bitterness, and flavor, and aroma.
The hop compounds that are responsible for making beer bitter are called isomerized alpha-acids. These chemicals, along with sulfur compounds found in beer, are also culpable in beer skunking. When light hits beer, it provides the energy necessary to drive a reaction that transforms the iso-alpha-acids into 3-methyl-2-butene-1-thiol. The thiol part indicates that there is sulfur present. Sulfur compounds often have strong, offensive aromas. Some musteline animals, like skunks, have evolved the ability to produce this chemical.
In a sense, the aroma of light-struck beer doesnt just resemble skunk spray, it is skunk spray! Its the same stuff!
This photochemical reaction is the only cause of skunked beer. Warm storage, while damaging to the flavor of beer, does not skunk it. Cycling the temperature of beer from warm to cold and back again is also not implicated. Storing beer in the dark is the simple way to prevent skunking.
Blue light, and to a lesser extent green are the most damaging to beer. Most wavelengths of ultraviolet light are not a concern because glass blocks them quite effectively (thats why you dont get sunburned in your car). That is the reason beer in green, blue, and clear bottles is almost always skunked. Yes, even some very expensive imports.
What? No hand cut Dovetails?
The folks at Northern Brewer would probably measure these for you ...they are helpful folks.
Very nice! With a decent drawing, a water jet or a cnc machine could cut out these pieces for pennies (literally). Someone could have decent business opportunity here.
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