clear or dark bottles?

[rekamefink]

Does it really matter? I like Newcastle and have quite a few bottles, I'm brewing a Canadian ale and a chocolate stout. Are clear bottles a no no?

 

[dtgrdn]

clear are no nos

 

[MaxStout]

Clear bottles would be OK for beer if you store them away from light, i.e., in a box.

 

[1977Brewer]

Keep them in the dark and you're fine.

 

[BigJack]

Dark. Dark as the soul of a murderer, or a terrorist, or an InBev executive.

 

[rekamefink]

Thanks !

 

[Sailingeric]

When I bottle I do one in clear to see how it looks and how it is carbing but I store in a cabinet away from light.

 

[RM-MN]

UV light acting on the hop oils will create the same kind of compound as gives the skunk its scent. Most indoor light does not have much UV so taking the clear bottle out to look at it won't be a problem but long term would not be a good idea. Taking the clear bottle out into the bright sunlight can cause skunking pretty quickly. The brown bottles are better at filtering out the UV.

 

[Kirkwooder]

I've heard that the green bottles are no better than the clear at filtering the UV. Is that true? How about the cobalt and red bottles?

 

[flugelizor]

IMO; clear are much better. You can see what is going on inside!
You guys that recommend dark bottles.
Do you store your beer in the sun?

 

[RM-MN]

IMO; clear are much better. You can see what is going on inside!
You guys that recommend dark bottles.
Do you store your beer in the sun?

Reread my post above. Even some indoor light has sufficient UV to cause the skunking given enough time.

I've heard that the green bottles are no better than the clear at filtering the UV. Is that true? How about the cobalt and red bottles?

There is a reason most beer is bottled in brown bottles. It's the only color that gives much protection against UV. Other colors are for appeal so you don't have to spend as much for advertising since people seeing the other colors will be tempted to buy the beer based on the pretty color.

 

[MaxStout]

Do you store your beer in the sun?

No, but since the vast majority of liquor stores display their beer on shelves and coolers lit up with fluorescent lights, brown is a necessity.

If I bought bottles new I could get whatever color I wanted, as I keep 'em in the dark.

 

[JINKS]

UV exposure vs. Glass color

400nm down is what skunks the beer.

Keep them in the dark and you should be ok.

 

[fartinmartin]

I love my clear bottles, I am proud of my beer, and proud to show it off, they look terrific held up to the light, you know the sediment condition as you can see it, much better pouring control.
I have used a mixture of brown and clear on the same brews for donkeys years , I haven't and nobody else has ever detected bad flavours from it.
I really think that there may be a little fact in the argument , but the biggest point is it's mostly BS !

 

[okiedog]

The only bottles I keep are brown glass bottles. I use green or clear bottles wrapped in foil when I give beer to someone that I don't expect to the bottles back from. The foil blocks light and is fairly inexpensive.

 

[Kirkwooder]

Yuengling is pretty popular with my family so I trade a full 6 pack for a case of empty bottles. I use these green bottles for all my give away's. They have the lip on the top that my capper can grab onto and they are still twist off. Win, win, win.

 

[Zepth]

I like clear bottles. I tend to store my beer not only in a box, but in a closet. And it happens that the closet is a mostly unused bedroom that always has curtains closed and lights off.

I prefer to see what's inside the bottle. For those few that the sharpie misses in a batch, for watching exactly where the conditioning yeast is at. The latter is important if you are like me in my earlier days and always ensure a healthy dose of trub into the bottling bucket. Hey, amateur happens.

There is also the rare occasion that there is a krausen line inside the bottles. I've had it happen a couple different times with little rhyme or reason that I could figure. Sometimes only a few from the batch had it. Most of the time there was nothing though. Clear bottles will let you see this without holding it up to a light for inspection.

 

[tracyk]

I have used clear and brown bottles for the same batch of beer. And honestly I could not taste the difference. They are kept in a closet, then put in the refrigerator to cool down, so the only light it sees is when the refrigerator door is opened.

I know the first time I brought some of my ale to our club meeting I thought several of the members were going to pass out when they saw the clear bottles. I told them to make their judgment after they tasted the brew. Oh yeah, it was a golden pale ale which I thought was perfect for the clear bottles. They loved it. I will still continue to use them regardless.

 

[Kblandfo]

Keep the clear and green bottles. I have started doing cider, skeeter pee and apple wine. Those products don’t skunk.