Beer enthusiasts often wonder if the color of the bottle affects the quality of the brew. This article aims to address this concern by examining green bottle beer brands and the rationale behind the use of colored bottles.
In this piece, we will compare brown and green beer bottles and determine why the latter is preferred. Additionally, we will delve into the history of glass beer bottles to trace the evolution of their design.
To shed light on the debate over the impact of bottle color on beer flavor, we will explore the merits of brown, green, clear, and metal (can) containers. While brown and green are the hues most commonly associated with beer, green bottles have enjoyed popularity since the mid-1800s.
What are the Green bottle beer brands?
Green bottles are commonly used for many popular beer brands worldwide, including Heineken, Stella Artois, Pilsner Urquell, Carlsberg, Staropramen, Rolling Rock, Moosehead, Beck’s, and Peroni. Heineken, in particular, is one of the largest and most recognized beer brands with a green bottle. The company has licensed breweries in various countries and has even used the iconic Heineken green colors to decorate its cans.
It is worth noting that several brands, both old and new, may use green bottles. This is because, during WWII, there was a shortage of brown glass bottles, causing several breweries to revert to using green glass bottles. After the war, the companies kept the green bottle, as it had become associated with premium beer.
In Germany, green bottles are often used to honor tradition and conformity to the country’s brewing laws. Many iconic German beers, such as Beck’s regular and Beck’s Light, are packaged in green bottles. These brands are known not only for their outstanding beer styles but also for their enduring popularity.
Dos Equis Lager Especial, a Mexican import with a green bottle, is a golden pilsner-style beer with a balanced, biscuit, crisp, fresh, and smooth taste. The beer has an alcohol content of 4.2% and is made using premium hops and spring water.
Why is Stella Artois in green bottles?
The green glass bottle became popular among European breweries during WWII, when there was a shortage of brown glass bottles. Since then, the green bottle has become a trademark associated with high-quality, imported European lager.
Recently, even Leuven Brewed beer switched from using brown to green glass bottles. The green bottle helps differentiate the Belgian lager from other beers in the market that are packaged in brown bottles. This exclusivity and association with premium beer contribute to the green bottle’s perceived value and appeal.
Overall, the quality and price of the beer are not affected by the bottle color, and beer lovers can enjoy their favorite brews regardless of the packaging.
History of Glass beer bottle
Beer has been a popular beverage for thousands of years, with its origins dating back to ancient civilizations like Egypt and Mesopotamia. The first glass bottle was also made in Mesopotamia around 1500 B.C., although it was intended for storing ointments and oils rather than beer.
Beer was first bottled in glass bottles in the 16th century, but commercial bottling did not begin until the 17th century. The earliest beer bottles were typically green, as glass production techniques at the time were not advanced enough to remove impurities like ferrous irons.
However, by the 1930s, many breweries had switched to using brown or darker beer bottles. This was because these bottles were better at filtering out light, particularly UV rays, which helped to preserve the beer for longer periods of time. Today, beer is sold in a variety of packaging, including cans, clear bottles, and various colors of glass bottles.
Why Brown Bottles and Green Bottles
To summarize, brown bottles are preferred for beer as they block out UV rays and preserve beer for longer. However, during World War 2, there was a shortage of brown bottles, and green bottles were used instead. Green bottles later became a status symbol for many European breweries, and premium and high-value beers were bottled in green bottles, which persists till today. UV-protected coatings are now used to ensure beer lasts for a long time, even when bottled in green or clear bottles. Glass is an excellent way to maintain the beer taste fresh since it keeps your favorite ale, lager, or IPA fresh and prevents it from going stale. The glass bottle protects the beer aroma while also ensuring that the beer is not oxidized by oxygen, which would react with the beer without the glass bottle.
Why are German beers in green bottles?
German beers are commonly found in green bottles, and this is due to two main reasons. Firstly, there was a shortage of brown glass bottles during and after World War II, which led to European brewers using green or clear glass bottles for their beer. Secondly, after the war, green glass bottles became associated with premium or higher-quality beer. As a result, even though brown glass bottles were readily available after the war, some German and European beer giants had already established iconic brands of green bottle beer. Today, green glass is still used to denote the higher quality of these beers.
However, it is important to note that German beer companies have been able to adopt modern UV rays filters that can keep beer fresh even if it is not bottled in brown glass bottles. Despite this, several German breweries choose to use green bottles as a way of honoring tradition and for marketing purposes.
Green beer bottle brands Australia
The Australian beer market offers a variety of green bottle beer brands, some of which also produce their beers in brown bottles depending on the variant. Some of the popular green bottle beer brands from Australia include Cascade Premium Lager, Pure Blonde, and Hahn Ultra Crisp.
Cascade Premium Lager, brewed by Cascade Brewery Company Ltd. in Hobart, Australia, is an American Adjunct Lager-style beer with pine, citrus, and floral undertones and a moderate bitterness (“grapefruity”).
Pure Blonde, the first Australian Ultra Low Carbohydrate beer, is brewed by Pacific Beverages Pte Ltd. This beer is made with the finest ingredients and no preservatives, resulting in a refreshing, full-flavored lager that is easy to drink. The light, crisp, aromatic lager has become the beer of choice for carb-conscious Aussies.
Hahn Ultra Crisp, brewed by Hahn Brewery in Australia, is an easy-drinking, lower-carb lager. The beer is cleaner and crisper due to the revolutionary process used to brew it, and it is made with Japanese rice, resulting in a 99% sugar-free, preservative-free, and gluten-free beer.
Does Beer in a Green Glass Bottle Taste Different?
The flavor of beer is not affected by the color of the bottle it is stored in because current bottling technology enables clear and green bottles to filter UV rays just as brown bottles do. In the past, clear glass and green bottles did not offer sufficient UV filtration, which led to beer becoming “skunky.” However, modern beer bottles protect the beer from UV rays equally well, regardless of the bottle color. It is worth noting that the taste of beer is determined primarily by the brewing process, and different beers have distinct flavors. Therefore, the taste of beer is not solely determined by the type of bottle in which it is stored.
Conclusion
The color of a beer bottle does not necessarily indicate whether the beer is vulnerable to skunking. This is due to the fact that there are transparent UV protective coatings available for glass manufacturers to apply to clear or green beer bottles. However, it is widely recognized that light is the biggest enemy when it comes to preserving the freshness of beer. Thus, it is recommended to store beer in a dark place to minimize the chances of skunking or spoilage. Brown glass bottles are considered the ideal color for beer bottling because they provide the ultimate protection against UV rays.
Some popular beer brands, such as Heineken, Stella Artois, and Carlsberg, use green bottles for their beer. Heineken lager is a particularly delicious green-bottled beer that has a deep golden color. Despite being light on the palate and easy to drink, it has a stronger taste than most mass-produced lagers.