Bottle colour

[Broomie14]

Does the bottle colour make a difference? I don't like using brown bottles i think its hard to see the sediment when pouring... is there a reason most suppliers sell brown bottles ???

 

[BrewMeHappy]

Light passing through clear bottles can cause 'skunking' of the beer. As long as they are kept in a dark place they will be fine.

 

[Broomie14]

Whats skunking ?? Does this effect the quality ??

 

[micklupulo]

Whats skunking ?? Does this effect the quality ??

Yes it's a vile taste.

 

[An Ankoù]

UV light changes some of the hop derivatives in the beer to something with a very low taste threshold, which is disgusting. Apparently. I must confess, I've never tasted it in either my own or commercial beers, but I always keep my beer in the dark even if it's just throwing a towel over the crate.

 

[Broomie14]

So i had swing top bottles back in 2017 which where clear now I have clear plalstic ones what i can do to keep them dark.... will a cupboard do ???

 

[chrisb8]

So i had swing top bottles back in 2017 which where clear now I have clear plalstic ones what i can do to keep them dark.... will a cupboard do ???

Yes, just keep them in the dark. Storing them in a cardboard box with a lid will do.

 

[Poochops]

I pour from bottles under the kitchen cabinet light, as I pour the last third slowly I can easily spot when the sediment is in the neck f the bottle and stop pouring

 

[Broomie14]

I pour from bottles under the kitchen cabinet light, as I pour the last third slowly I can easily spot when the sediment is in the neck f the bottle and stop pouring

I read before that as soon as the sediment moves then you are supposed to stop pouring... also i dont have kitchen cabinet lights just a big light haha

 

[fuggled]

I have green grolsch bottles for all of my brews (probably over 200 bottles!!) and I store them all in the dark. I’ve never had skunking so just keep them in the dark and it’ll be fine.

 

[Stuart Wilson]

I have been using brown bottles, but recently acquired a few clear ones. I found that there were much better.

Much easier to fill as you can see the level of beer in the bottle so clearly. Easier to pour as you can see what the sediment is doing. Easier to see how the beer is clearing with time during the bottle conditioning process. Easier to see that used bottles are properly clean. And last, although it may sound a bit silly, I like looking at the different colours of various brews...clear glass makes it easy to compare and admire.

I just dont buy the light damage idea to be honest. I keep my brewed beer in boxes in the garage so it is always kept in pretty gloomy conditions. Secondly....bottle glass let's virtually no UV light through. Before retiring I did lab work my whole life....if you want to measure uv absorption / emission in a lab setting, which we did all the time, you need specialist quartz glass which is transparent to UV light.

I'm sure things can change if you leave beer in direct sunlight.....many chemicals are light sensitive, and I fully believe it can end up tasting terrible. However find it difficult to believe that this is relevant for home brew stores in gloomy light for relatively short periods of time.

I've decided to retire my brown glass bottles and replace with clear glass.

 

[Covrich]

I always doa bottle or two a batch in clear.. They always turn out just fine just lilke you say keep them in the dark.. I throw towels over my bottles anyway

It is handy to see if a bottle has cleared

 

[darrellm]

I've been using a mixture of brown and clear bottles for over 10 years, they're stored in clear plastic crates in the garage which does have some windows so a bit of light in there: never experienced "skunking". Clear bottles do appear to be a bit weaker, they're usually the first to pop if I get any bottle bombs and I've had a few necks break whilst cleaning.

 

[Pirate_Pete]

I always doa bottle or two a batch in clear.. They always turn out just fine just lilke you say keep them in the dark.. I throw towels over my bottles anyway

It is handy to see if a bottle has cleared

Yes I do a couple of bottles in clear. See how it's clearing and check the colour.
I have green bottles that I was going to get rid of, but I find it easy if cider & lager are in green.
Ales, Pale Ales etc in brown. Mainly so I can easily tell what's in the fridge.
All my beer is kept in the dark anyhow.

I also bottle the odd lager or cider in green sprite bottles. You never know when you might want a crafty one.

 

[Poochops]

I read before that as soon as the sediment moves then you are supposed to stop pouring... also i dont have kitchen cabinet lights just a big light haha

The trick is not have any sediment other than a film of yeast on the bottom of the bottle, I can all but empty a bottle without getting anything in the glass other than beer.

 

[Drunkula]

Google "beer skunking experiment" and you'll find plenty to show that it's true.

 

[Broomie14]

The trick is not have any sediment other than a film of yeast on the bottom of the bottle, I can all but empty a bottle without getting anything in the glass other than beer.

Now i have only had 2 brews previously and one was flatter than a pint of water, the second one was brilliant compared to the first but still had noticeable sediment in every bottle. I cant remember the process i used when i transferred to bottles but this time i will be using a tap and a bottling wand so hopefully that will cut down the sediment.

 

[Binkei Huckaback]

Does the bottle colour make a difference? I don't like using brown bottles i think its hard to see the sediment when pouring... is there a reason most suppliers sell brown bottles ???

I've never experiened it, but I don't think my sense of smell is great. Also, my beer has been kept out of bright sunlight. As for it being hard to see the sediment when pouring...you just need practice. Then you'll just 'know ' when to stop

 

[Stuart Wilson]

Yeast makes a difference too....I made a czech style pilsner last year ..... cant remember the yeast I used but settled out really loosely. You had to be careful even moving the bottle.....almost had to plan your drinking. Set the bottles out really carefully and let them stand for a while in case yeast had been stirred up. Just finished a batch of brown ale made with mangrove Jack's american strong ale yeast. That stuck to the bottom of the bottle like glue.....virtualy none would go into suspension, no matter what you did. It was actually hard to wash off..... particularly with brown bottles where you couldnt really see inside ...to return to the original topic!!