Has anyone here tried putting their brew on different color bottles and see if its true that it skunks the brew.....I just wonder because Sierra Nevada uses clear bottles ...Heinekin uses green bottles and i can't understand that if this was something so bad for the brew why would these multimillion dollar companies use it..... hmmm just wondering
Green bottles vs Brown bottles
- Thread starter Big_Cat
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Never tried it but that is an interesting question. I have a couple cool looking green St. Peter's bottles that I've been wanting to bottle in, but I've been a little wary because of the potential skunking. Also, I've never seen Sierra Nevada in clear bottles; was it a special edition or something?
Sierra Nevada definitely uses brown bottles- those shorties are my faves. You're probably thinking of Newcastle, also Corona and other mexi-lagers. Really, all beer needs to be kept out of the light, including those in brown bottles, but it adds an extra layer of protection. Brown>green>clear. Most of my bottles stay in crates and covered with a sheet/blanket while conditioning so I'd have no qualms using those bottles, I just don't buy any beer that comes in them.
The big guys use the other bottles for presentation, because they sell their beer based on marketing and shelf appeal, not on taste like the little guys. Every bottle of Corona or Heineken I've ever had has been skunked pretty badly, most people think it's part of the flavor profile, but a Heineken out of a can is really quite a nice lager (poured into a glass, of course). BJCP teachers do this all the time for demos, skunk beer intentionally to give tasters so that people know what it tastes like.
The big guys use the other bottles for presentation, because they sell their beer based on marketing and shelf appeal, not on taste like the little guys. Every bottle of Corona or Heineken I've ever had has been skunked pretty badly, most people think it's part of the flavor profile, but a Heineken out of a can is really quite a nice lager (poured into a glass, of course). BJCP teachers do this all the time for demos, skunk beer intentionally to give tasters so that people know what it tastes like.
Mongrel
Well-Known Member
If you want to show off the color, bottle one clear bottle, and don't bother opening it.
Molybedenum
Well-Known Member
From what I understand, Corona is actually passed through UV light to purposely skunk it up a bit.
If you store your beer in the dark, the color of the bottle is irrelevant. Do it for something fun, I say. It's pretty safe in the cellar and in the fridge.
If you store your beer in the dark, the color of the bottle is irrelevant. Do it for something fun, I say. It's pretty safe in the cellar and in the fridge.
I think that's a myth. I've had bottles in varying degrees of skunkitude, and the canned Corona isn't skunky at all.
A hoppy beer in a glass in direct sunlight can skunk in as little as 5 minutes.
You are correct.
Some commercial beers use isomerized hop oils, which supposedly do not skunk.
I generally avoid buying anything in clear bottles. I had some Speckled Hen a couple of years ago ...... 3 of the 6 bottles were nasty; no mistaking skunk.
For my beers I usually use 1 clear bottle each batch. It's nice to see how clear it is in the bottle. Kept in boxes; never a problem.
I generally avoid buying anything in clear bottles. I had some Speckled Hen a couple of years ago ...... 3 of the 6 bottles were nasty; no mistaking skunk.
For my beers I usually use 1 clear bottle each batch. It's nice to see how clear it is in the bottle. Kept in boxes; never a problem.
You don't even have to bottle in a clear bottle to experience the skunkiness... all you need to do is leave a glass of a pale ale in direct sunlight for 15 minutes. You can almost taste the skunkification happening in real time.
I was at the brew store today and they had really cool blue bottles there...
Yeah,those light platinum bottles are purty,but twisties darn it. For me,it's the difference between various shades of brown US bottles & the amber/amber green/amber brown German bottles. The amber/brown & amber/green ones show off colors nicely. And I keep them in covered craft 12 pack boxes,so skunking isn't a factor.
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