5 ms·

It's primarily the ultraviolet in sunlight that is damaging. Stores use flourescent lighting in this part of the world, which still emits a fair amount of UV,

It's primarily the ultraviolet in sunlight that is damaging. Stores use flourescent lighting in this part of the world, which still emits a fair amount of UV, damaging the product sitting on a shelf. This is why beer in green bottles often picks up a "skunky" flavor; green glass doesn't block UV as well as brown and the UV reacts with the hop flavinoid molecules, changing the flavor.

psychometry 6y ago
Huh, I always figured that's just how Heineken tasted!
- jccooper 6y ago
  Many beers traditionally packaged in clear or green bottles (like Heineken and Mexican lagers) got "skunked" during shipment and consumers (especially in export markets) came to recognize that as the taste of the beer. Today, they get shipped to store more quickly and without much light exposure... so they're deliberately skunked by the brewer to maintain the taste.
  - frandroid 6y ago
    I'm going to call [citation needed] on the deliberate skunking...
ThePadawan 6y ago
Interesting! Now I wonder if Inselbrauerei's all-around labelling [0] is more than just a shelf recognizability gimmick. [0] https://i.pinimg.com/originals/d2/a7/6b/d2a76bc591bd8d13697f0c0e471c4d23.jpg https://i.pinimg.com/originals/d2/a7/6b/d2a76bc591bd8d13697f...
- FlyMoreRockets 6y ago
  Several years ago, Sam Adams had a TV ad about their high sided cardboard six pack boxes, and how they protected the beer from light. I expect the all-around labelling would work even better.
bch 6y ago
I thought green did block damaging light effects, which is why (eg) olive oil often ships in green glass. Edit: “it depends”, but generally green glass seems to be a distant 3rd in performance. Amber > cobalt > green Ref: https://www.thecarycompany.com/about/blog/amber-glass-vs-cobalt-glass https://www.thecarycompany.com/about/blog/amber-glass-vs-cob...
jrootabega 6y ago
I think visible blue light is a large contributor to skunking

psychometry 6y ago

Huh, I always figured that's just how Heineken tasted!

jccooper 6y ago
Many beers traditionally packaged in clear or green bottles (like Heineken and Mexican lagers) got "skunked" during shipment and consumers (especially in export markets) came to recognize that as the taste of the beer. Today, they get shipped to store more quickly and without much light exposure... so they're deliberately skunked by the brewer to maintain the taste.
- frandroid 6y ago
  I'm going to call [citation needed] on the deliberate skunking...

ThePadawan 6y ago

Interesting! Now I wonder if Inselbrauerei's all-around labelling [0] is more than just a shelf recognizability gimmick. [0] https://i.pinimg.com/originals/d2/a7/6b/d2a76bc591bd8d13697f0c0e471c4d23.jpg https://i.pinimg.com/originals/d2/a7/6b/d2a76bc591bd8d13697f...

FlyMoreRockets 6y ago
Several years ago, Sam Adams had a TV ad about their high sided cardboard six pack boxes, and how they protected the beer from light. I expect the all-around labelling would work even better.

bch 6y ago

I thought green did block damaging light effects, which is why (eg) olive oil often ships in green glass. Edit: “it depends”, but generally green glass seems to be a distant 3rd in performance. Amber > cobalt > green Ref: https://www.thecarycompany.com/about/blog/amber-glass-vs-cobalt-glass https://www.thecarycompany.com/about/blog/amber-glass-vs-cob...

jrootabega 6y ago

I think visible blue light is a large contributor to skunking