Mine's currently being besmirched as a holder of a few pens and a Hello Kitty pencil. What about you guys?
Upon first glance, this question seems kinda strange. Upon further reflection, it seems kinda intriguing. Fair enuff inquiry.
http://beeradvocate.com/articles/527 What does light-struck mean? This is when the beer has been exposed to ultraviolet light for a period of time. Hop-derived molecules, called isohumulones, are basically ripped apart. Some of these parts bind with sulfur atoms to create that skunk character, which is similar in character to a skunk's natural defense and is such a potent compound that parts-per-trillion can be detected and even ruin a beer. Although brown bottles aid in protecting beer from being light-struck, it hardly makes the beer invincible. Green or clear bottles provide little to no protection. And it's been said that bottled beer can become light-struck in less than one minute in bright sun, after a few hours in diffuse daylight, and in a few days under normal fluorescent lighting. This light-struck condition is often to blame for a skunked beer. Many popular imports are distributed in green bottles. Pair the two, mix with misinformation and an inexperienced palate, and the common belief becomes that if beer is in a green bottle, it has to be skunked
In the absence of a kick ass ceramic stein (with lid), the most likely direction that sunlight would get to your beer would be from the top (given that the sun is in the sky and all), so a brown glass wouldn't do all that much for the beer.
Drink a Dale's while outside on a bright and sunny day - you don't even have to pour it. The little drops around the rim of the can will become noticeably skunky within a minute or so. I know this because I have tried it. However, get rid of the drops that were exposed to the sun and your beer is back to tasting delicious (since the rest is shielded inside a can).
Why? Don't we all drink beer in our basements in just our underwear ... no? You can DIY ... http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/craft-beer-bottle-tumbler-diystylelist-173352
It is big business in San Diego also. They are always running ads on Craigslist looking to buy 22 oz local beer bottles. http://www.etsy.com/shop/bottlehood
The wife and I saw something similar at the [former] Bruery Provisions, except in reverse. They had removed the bottoms of the bottles to turn them into a candle cover. It was pretty neat, and my wife loved the idea. Thanks for posting the how-to, we'll be trying this out.
Even made with brown glass, the light would penetrate through the top. Really the only complete solution is drinking from a ceramic glass with a pewter cover. It won't matter either way though. Initial "skunking" might happen within a few minutes, but true skunking to a noticeable difference in taste would take much longer than it would (should) take to drink a beer.
Can anyone here honestly say that they've ever had a beer skunk on them after pouring it into their clear glass. I think this is a non issue. I wanna see my beer.
If you are drinking a beer that you have had before I see that the choice of what to drink it out of is matter of personal choice. If you are evaluating a beer then I prefer to drink it out of the suggested glass and at the preferred temp. I do enjoy the visual appeal of seeing a beer in a clear glass but if I have had the beer before and the shape of the serving container does not affect the beer then what ever I have handy works.
Exactly what I was thinking. I've had dozens of beers out in the sun, and I haven't had any experience with skunking.
I always take my cellard beer out then refrigerate for an hour before pouring carefully into my custom made crystal tiffany tulip glass wherein I start the digital Rolex timer and begin the tasting while dictating the notes to my butler. At about the calculated half life of the hops I subject the specimen to full sunlight in the tropical latitudes. and note the increase of skunkify on a scientific scale. To do otherwise would be a disservice to the Beer Advocate community, which I am humbled to claim a minor participant in.
The rims are, well they should be heat polished to round the glass out so there is no sharp surface. My wife learned to make those glasses in an undergrad glass-blowing class.
Pour a couple ounces in a seperate glass, leave in the sun for 5 minutes and compare side by side with the rest of the beer. It can happen quicker than you think, and yes I have tried this. Will it be full out skunked right away? No, but it will be noticeable.
I'm usually indoors when I drink, if I'm outside grilling or whatever then I'm likely rolling with some canned craft goodness.
Depends on the situation of course, but drinking from a bottle in the shade is different from drinking from a pint glass in direct sunlight. You or others may not have not experienced it, but it happens. We were at a beer fest last August and all the breweries were stationed outside. Despite being under an awning, we repeatedly had various beers skunk within minutes of being poured into a glass. This was confirmed by a least six coworkers. Granted it was an extremely sunny day, but it was amazing how quickly the beer became undrinkable. Even after downing a glass quickly to combat this phenomenon the residue inside would eventually skunk too, to the point where I was double rinsing before each new pour and still smelling it inside the glass.
depends on how intense the sunlight is when you're outside, but it has certainly happened to me, and plenty of others, including some in this thread, plus the many others re: skunking that have been posted over the years.
So you're saying nobody else just shotguns their Ten Fidy's and Jai Alai's? Learn something new everyday...
I just put a straw in the can or bottle. That way I'm not bothered by any of that pesky lifting nonsense either.
