Green/clear bottles blocking UV light

[GaryJohn]

I spoke with a man who works in packaging, and he has worked in high positions for San Miguel brewing company in the Philippines.

He states that clear and green beer bottles block UV light, because the glass is treated to do so. He insists this is true and there is nothing to worry about using bottles of this type.

Has anyone heard of this before? Because I haven't.

 

[aubiecat]

That was funny.

 

[SkipperNC]

Related patent that is similar? It was mentioned by the Brew Wizard once.
http://www.google.com/patents/US6622524

That being said, I don't know of anyone that actually used that process, or advertises that they have clear bottles using that process. Surely if it was in use and worked well, it would have been a bottle revolution at this point.

 

[phoenixs4r]

Surely if it was in use and worked well, it would have been a bottle revolution at this point.

Why? Is clear glass cheaper? And would it be worth dealing the misconceptions that all clear/green bottles automatically contain skunked beer?

 

[NA_Wreckdiver]

I'm just curious and DO NOT KNOW... (so don't get worked up)...

Why do beers like Rolling Rock and Heineken come in green, and Miller in clear?
If it was an issue, wouldn't those companies avoid it?

(I know, I know... not "great" beer) but wouldn't they try to protect the beer they sell?

 

[SkipperNC]

No clue. That was my question. If it was the cat's meow, I would think we would have heard ... something?

 

[solbes]

Miller High Life, GrainBelt Premium and some others use hop extracts that do not skunk in sunlight. Maybe the beers the OP is referring to use the same extracts.

 

[SkipperNC]

Why do beers like Rolling Rock and Heineken come in green, and Miller in clear?
If it was an issue, wouldn't those companies avoid it?

(I know, I know... not "great" beer) but wouldn't they try to protect the beer they sell?

Great question.

 

[GaryJohn]

Why do beers like Rolling Rock and Heineken come in green, and Miller in clear?
If it was an issue, wouldn't those companies avoid it?

It's to make the product LOOK more appealing on the shelf. They don't care about taste as much.

 

[ajbram]

It's to make the product LOOK more appealing on the shelf. They don't care about taste as much.

I use green glass bottles for my homebrew without any issues. Mind you, they're pretty damn tasty to start, and they hide in a dark cupboard until it's time to drink them. I don't have to worry about how they look on the shelf.

 

[passedpawn]

 

[Greenbasterd]

becks comes in green bottles and its the skunkiest beer i've ever drank. but it also comes in open top 6packs.. stella comes in green bottles but they use a totally inclosed box. they dont even punch out the hand holes, int he factory at least w/e happens after that is not there fault.

 

[solbes]

Referring to Passedpawn's chart, it's the lower wavelength light that skunks a beer correct? Trying to confirm why the brown bottles would offer more protection based on wavelength. Obviously they block more light than a clear or green bottle as well.

 

[ajbram]

It's UV light that skunks a beer. That's in the 400nm and below range. From Passedpawn's chart, you can see that brown does a much better job at blocking UV. When you think about it, think of the color light you see passing through a bottle and compare it to this image. Brown is close to red and orange... and not close to blue and UV. The farther the light color is that the bottle lets through from the UV part of the spectrum, the better the bottle will be at keeping your beers tasty. That being said, if you put it in a closed box in a dark place, bottle color makes no difference.

 

[Ted_Pino]

I have heard that most transparent glass blocks a lot of UVA and UVB but still allows the visible spectrum to pass through. If glass is thick enough, it can pretty much absorb UV light completely, that's why Corona bottles are thicker (they weigh about 22 grams more than a stander brown bottle). What is also skunking the beer is any blue or high energy light that can get through the glass. If you think about it, when you see a blue bottle what is happening is the glass is absorbing every other wavelength EXCEPT blue and that is what makes it that color. Also, as said before, High Life and others use a modified alpha acid extract that doesn't change into the skunk chemical when exposed to light.

 

[NA_Wreckdiver]

Is the "High Life" in "Miller High Life" supposed to mean "long lasting"...
presumably due to their "Hop" method?

 

[aristurtle]

Is the "High Life" in "Miller High Life" supposed to mean "long lasting"...
presumably due to their "Hop" method?

Miller High Life uses a hop extract that contains no isohumulones, so UV light doesn't cause them to turn to thiols, hence no skunk aroma.

 

[passedpawn]

I got that graph from this white paper. Lots of great info here.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/gcn9joo7zlmlipw/bbrskunking.pdf

 

[rico567]

I use brown 9" longnecks, all commercial throwaways, simply because they're so ubiquitous. That being said, in my situation I wouldn't be afraid to use clear or green. My fermentation is done in plastic buckets, which are going to block light (at least the bad UV part) pretty well. Then the bottles sit in my basement, which is completely dark most of the time. When the bottles are brought out of the basement, they go into the fridge until the beer is consumed....so there's not really a whole lot of exposure to light going on. For people who insist on using green or clear bottles, it could be handled in this way.....

 

[BradleyBrew]

Miller High Life, GrainBelt Premium and some others use hop extracts that do not skunk in sunlight. Maybe the beers the OP is referring to use the same extracts.

i've heard Newcastle employs this same method.