# Is There a Polite Way to Educate People about Green Bottles? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 27, 2006, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-polite-way-to-educate-people-about-green-bottles/385726 "2006-12-27T06:44:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2006, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-polite-way-to-educate-people-about-green-bottles/385726/41 "2006-12-28T01:19:45Z")
[QUOTE=GingerOfTheNorth] And yet, each time you bring beer to my house (every time you come here), it’s Samuel Adams. :dubious: [/QUOTE] Ah, because I’ve learned that bringing brew which isn’t well regarded by many leads to insults and other forms of derision. Heck, I know I’m in for insults and other forms of derision when visiting-just don’t want it to be owing to the beer. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2006, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-polite-way-to-educate-people-about-green-bottles/385726/42 "2006-12-28T01:38:51Z")
I generally just get beer in cans. Yep, even Coors, Miller Lite and Keystone (same as Coors light). At a restaurant I will get a higher quality beer to drink with a meal, but for knocking around the house, a can is fine. I’m missing something here. How long are beers in bottles exposed to ‘light’. Every beer cooler I have been in is pretty damn dark. Maybe a couple of florescent lights. The beer is stacked in such a way that hardly any light gets to it. How long does anyone keep these beers around anyway that a little bit of light could skunk it? When I have people over. I’ll buy a couple of six packs of different stuff that looks interesting. Local micro’s and stuff. It’s fun to try different stuff, and I will have some basic stuff around for people that don’t want something with the fuller taste. Easy peasy. ---
**Author:** ![tlsapp76](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cc9497/32.png) [@tlsapp76](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tlsapp76)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2006, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-polite-way-to-educate-people-about-green-bottles/385726/43 "2006-12-28T02:04:19Z")
I had always associated a certain flavor in Heineken as “skunk”, until I had one on draft that tasted just the same. Turns out I just don’t like Heineken. My “house wine” is Newcastle, which unfortunately comes in clear bottles. (IIRC, brown bottles block almost all of the UV, green bottles let in about 40%, and clear bottles don’t stop anything.) I’ve bought one or two six-packs that were a little skunked, but still very drinkable. These days I buy it in the cardboard cartons from places that rotate their stock frequently, and I haven’t had a bad one in a while. (Of course, it’s also in cans, so I could go that way; I just never have.) ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2006, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-polite-way-to-educate-people-about-green-bottles/385726/44 "2006-12-28T02:34:40Z")
[QUOTE=pulykamell] (excepting Miller, which doesn’t skunk because it uses some kind of hop extract that isn’t sensitive to light.) [/QUOTE] Cite? ---
**Author:** ![saoirse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@saoirse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saoirse)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2006, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-polite-way-to-educate-people-about-green-bottles/385726/45 "2006-12-28T02:41:32Z")
[QUOTE=Omniscient] Cite? [/QUOTE] I think he meant to say that it’s pre-skunked right there in the brewery. ---
**Author:** ![Phantom\_Dennis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/51bf81/32.png) [@Phantom\_Dennis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phantom_Dennis)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2006, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-polite-way-to-educate-people-about-green-bottles/385726/46 "2006-12-28T02:53:18Z")
How do I tell if a beer is “skunked”? Does that mean it’s more bitter than usual? I’ve always liked Corona – I guess my taste in beer isn’t very refined. But then I don’t usually drink it for the taste anyway. ---
**Author:** ![saoirse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@saoirse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saoirse)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2006, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-polite-way-to-educate-people-about-green-bottles/385726/47 "2006-12-28T03:15:40Z")
[QUOTE=Phantom Dennis] How do I tell if a beer is “skunked”? Does that mean it’s more bitter than usual? [/QUOTE] More like ass would be more accurate. > [@](#): > > I’ve always liked Corona – I guess my taste in beer isn’t very refined. But then I don’t usually drink it for the taste anyway. It has a very low snob appeal. There’s actually nothing wrong with that. Drink what you like. At least it’s not Cap’n Morgan’s Wort Coolers. ---
**Author:** ![Velma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/85e7bf/32.png) [@Velma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velma)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2006, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-polite-way-to-educate-people-about-green-bottles/385726/48 "2006-12-28T16:38:59Z")
[QUOTE=Phantom Dennis] How do I tell if a beer is “skunked”? Does that mean it’s more bitter than usual? I’ve always liked Corona – I guess my taste in beer isn’t very refined. But then I don’t usually drink it for the taste anyway. [/QUOTE] Don’t be ashamed of the Corona. I like beer of many kinds for different reasons, and I like Corona because it is so light. It is a favorite “summer beer.” It is the only beer I would add lime to though, so I am aware that it is very different than other beers. You don’t have to pick between cheap and good either. There are so many different kinds of beer that you can hardly pick one and call it the best. I get to try a lot of different kinds, as I have friends who are in an Irish band and they often play in places with lots of different beers. Now, my husband and said friend in the band have taken over an entire room in our basement, converted it to a second kitchen, and made it a brew room. So I have about 30 gallons of something being made down there most of the time. This latest batch looks like it will be a good one. (They do use brown bottles, BTW.) But if given a choice, I’ll pick wine anyway! ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2006, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-polite-way-to-educate-people-about-green-bottles/385726/49 "2006-12-28T17:05:48Z")
[QUOTE=Phantom Dennis] How do I tell if a beer is “skunked”? Does that mean it’s more bitter than usual? [/QUOTE] Lightstruck beer has a very unpleasant sulfury aroma. Many people compare it to burnt rubber. It’s unmistakable once you have experienced it. [QUOTE=Omniscient] Cite? [/QUOTE] I don’t have a specific citation for you, but Miller does indeed use a pre-isomerized hop extract that prevents their beer from becoming lightstruck in the clear bottles. It’s a patented process, maybe a patent search would turn it up. [QUOTE=enipla] How long does anyone keep these beers around anyway that a little bit of light could skunk it? [/QUOTE] You might be surprised at how little light it takes to affect beer. One of my favorite beers, DAB, is in green bottles. Even though I buy and keep it in enclosed cardboard 12-packs, I often end up dumping the last 6 or 7 bottles just because the little bit of light they are exposed to when the refrigerator door is open ruins them. 5 minutes of exposure to fluorescent light can ruin a beer. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2006, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-polite-way-to-educate-people-about-green-bottles/385726/50 "2006-12-28T18:30:10Z")
[QUOTE=Phantom Dennis] How do I tell if a beer is “skunked”? Does that mean it’s more bitter than usual?.. [QUOTE] Here’s how to find out what skunked beer tastes like. In warm weather, when a closed car gets really hot, leave a beer in your car for a few days. Then chill it and drink it. After that, you will recognize it when you taste it. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2006, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-polite-way-to-educate-people-about-green-bottles/385726/51 "2006-12-28T18:37:29Z")
[QUOTE=August West] You might be surprised at how little light it takes to affect beer. One of my favorite beers, DAB, is in green bottles. Even though I buy and keep it in enclosed cardboard 12-packs, I often end up dumping the last 6 or 7 bottles just because the little bit of light they are exposed to when the refrigerator door is open ruins them. 5 minutes of exposure to fluorescent light can ruin a beer. [/QUOTE] 5 minutes? So you’re saying that every single bottle of Corona, Becks, Pilsner Urquell, etc sitting on a supermarket or liquor store shelf for 6 minutes is toast? Sounds a mite exaggerated to me. ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2006, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-polite-way-to-educate-people-about-green-bottles/385726/52 "2006-12-28T20:02:53Z")
I feel safe in saying that any green or clear bottle at your local supermarket that is exposed to light is going to have a detectable level of ‘skunky’ flavor. Supermarkets in particular tend to use fluorescent lighting and they don’t have high turnover on imports, so am confident in my prediction. I have found objectionable skunkiness in brown bottled beer after as little as 30 hours of exposure to flourescent light. Fluorescents absolutely kill beer. Admittedly my “beer tastebuds” are a little more sensitive to off-flavors since I am trained to look for them, but I can taste skunkiness in a glass of cold beer that has been sitting in sunlight for less than 10 minutes. Even though Corona is often held up as the king of skunked beers, I find that it’s really low hopping levels help it to be less skunky that the green bottled European imports. I personally wouldn’t buy any green or clear-bottled beer that is not in an enclosed cardboard case, with the as-noted exception of Miller beers. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Rieux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dr.Rieux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Rieux)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2006, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-polite-way-to-educate-people-about-green-bottles/385726/53 "2006-12-28T21:08:16Z")
[QUOTE=Frylock] That wikipedia entry calls RR a “cream ale.” RR itself, though, calls itself a “pale lager.” I wonder which it is? Anyone got the straight dope? -FrL- [/QUOTE] _I_ call RR “beer-flavored water.” ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2006, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-polite-way-to-educate-people-about-green-bottles/385726/54 "2006-12-28T21:28:46Z")
Still don’t know that I’m entirely convinced, but a brief google turned up [this article](http://www.evansale.com/skunked_beer.html) by a guy who considers beer as fragile as **AW** - and also discusses Miller’s skunk-proof hops. I am sure my palate is nowhere near as discerning as some folks’, but I know I did put a lot of thought and practice into appreciating all manner of beers, and I am very surprised to hear that skunking is as rapid and as pervasive as you say. Unfortunately, since I no longer drink, I won’t have the opportunity to conduct repeated tests. ☹ BTW **AW** - what is your profession such that you are trained to taste off-flavors? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2006, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-polite-way-to-educate-people-about-green-bottles/385726/55 "2006-12-28T22:20:43Z")
He works in a brewery! Trust the pro…beer goes skunky real fast. Just one of the reasons a Corona will never pass these lips, no matter how thirsty I am. If it’s the only beer at the party, I’m at the wrong house. ---
**Author:** ![saoirse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@saoirse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saoirse)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2006, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-polite-way-to-educate-people-about-green-bottles/385726/56 "2006-12-28T22:30:51Z")
[QUOTE=Dinsdale] Still don’t know that I’m entirely convinced, but a brief google turned up [this article](http://www.evansale.com/skunked_beer.html) by a guy who considers beer as fragile as **AW** - and also discusses Miller’s skunk-proof hops. [/QUOTE] Usage nitpick: “as fragile as **AW** _does_.” I was thinking “What’s AW? How fragile is it?” ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2006, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-polite-way-to-educate-people-about-green-bottles/385726/57 "2006-12-29T16:13:47Z")
Actually I am very fragile :). **Dinsdale** I am the Quality Assurance lab supervisor for a regional craft brewery. A (very small) part of my job is doing a ‘sensory evaluation’ of the beer before it is released for packaging. Last summer I took part in a 10-week training program in which we were taught about beer flaws, then given intentionally ruined beer and required to identify the flaw and it’s cause. Over the following weeks the levels of the objectionable compounds were reduced until they were just barely at the detectable level. The course was fun, but it ruined me for any beer that isn’t technically perfect. My automatic reaction upon drinking a beer now is to look for what’s wrong with it, rather than enjoying it for what it is. ---
**Author:** ![saoirse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@saoirse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saoirse)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2006, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-polite-way-to-educate-people-about-green-bottles/385726/58 "2006-12-29T16:29:18Z")
Is that like, “Honey I just got home from work. Can I just sit down and perform a sensory evaluation on this beer for a couple minutes?” ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2006, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-polite-way-to-educate-people-about-green-bottles/385726/59 "2006-12-29T16:45:58Z")
[QUOTE=Omniscient] Cite? [/QUOTE] This is _not_ the cite I originally found the information on (I believe I first read it on [Realbeer.com](http://Realbeer.com)), but [here’s a cite](http://www.evansale.com/skunked_beer.html). > [@](#): > > There is a way to skunk-proof beer, and it is used by the Miller Brewing Company. Instead of using hop flowers to bitter their beers, they use a special hop extract called tetra-hop. The isomerized alpha-acids in this product have a slightly different molecular structure than naturally isomerized alpha-acids, and are immune to the effects of light. This extract has the added benefit of greatly increasing the foam retention of a beer. > > Tetra-hop extract is only used for bittering; it has no aroma. If one brews with any hop constituent other than tetra-hop, the beer will no longer be light-proof, so any beer with hop aroma is subject to skunking. Hop aroma is not desired by Miller’s marketing department, but clear glass bottles are, so tetra-hop works nicely for them. [Here’s another cite.](http://realbeer.com/jjpalmer/Howtobrew.html) > [@](#): > > Other beers like Miller High Life don’t boil hops with the wort but instead use a specially processed hop extract for bittering which lacks the compounds that cause skunking (and flavor). [Ah, here’s the Realbeer thread.](http://www.realbeer.com/discussions/showthread.php?threadid=4044) > [@](#): > > Yes, clear bottles allow for the hops to become “lightstruck” but that is only if they used actual hops in the process. If you notice, Corona is skunked but MGD is not. Miller uses what is known as pre-isomerized hop extract, which is not susceptible to being lightstruck. Therefore they can use clear bottles without much fear of becoming lightstruck. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2006, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-polite-way-to-educate-people-about-green-bottles/385726/60 "2006-12-29T16:49:43Z")
[QUOTE=Phantom Dennis] How do I tell if a beer is “skunked”? Does that mean it’s more bitter than usual? [/QUOTE] To me, it smells exactly like a skunk. Not full skunk spray, but you know that smell when a skunk is in the area–that one. Or, if you haven’t been near any skunks recently, have you had one of those scratch & sniff stickers with the skunk on it? It smells like that. It’s immediately obvious (to me, at any rate). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-polite-way-to-educate-people-about-green-bottles/385726.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-polite-way-to-educate-people-about-green-bottles/385726.md?page=4)