We’ll let others do the talking on this.
First, John Keeling, Head Brewer at Fuller’s, on Twitter.
And then this video review from the Real Ale Guide.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FP1MvGJUKh4]
Brewers (and packacing designers): pack it in!
3 replies on “Clear bottles: argh!”
Whilst I’m not going to disagree with someone with the expertise of John Keeling, I’ve drunk numerous beers in clear bottles over the past 6 or 7 years and I’ve NEVER had a light-struck beer.
We’ve had tons. I’ve heard that some people aren’t sensitive to it, although it’s so overpowering sometimes that I can’t see how that can be.
I have some sympathy for Olsta, which is kind of ironic considering how lucky someone is to be in that position.
The fact is that clear, green and yellow bottled beers really can reach you almost entirely unharmed.
It’s easy to forget that it is very possible never to have come across a skunked beer, as Olsta’s testimony proves.
Perhaps ‘insensitivity’ might merely be a (potentially very healthy) sign that someone isn’t drinking a great many bottled beers per year of a great many kinds from a great many sources. (Not knowing Olsta’s routine – it’s hard to be sure.)
I’d say the breweries who take this risk (and it is a risk) need to be more diligent about the future storage of their bottles. They need to inform retailers, stockists, bar staff and take-home customers of the potential dangers, and recommend simple measures that could help to prevent damage. “Store in a cool dark place” written in somewhat larger, bolder lettering would be a good start
It’s hard to imagine the breweries themselves recklessly exposing these to light before they’ve been shipped.
Or am I just a hopeless romantic?