Prevent Skunky Beer
Beer can easily acquire a skunky aroma. This undesirable, commonly encountered bad odor is caused by a reaction in the beer that occurs when natural or artificial light is allowed to penetrate the beer container and initiate what is referred to as photolysis. This photolysis reaction breaks down the natural bitter alpha acid hop constituents in the beer, leading to the formation of the compound 3-methyl-2-butene-1-thiol, commonly called mercaptan, that reminds one of skunks. This skunky compound can be formed rapidly when beer is exposed to light. Luckily, it is easy to prevent light-struck, skunky beer.
It is important not to confuse skunked or light-struck beer with beer that has simply gone bad through age or temperature variation. Such beer does have a foul taste, though it is not akin to the chemicals produced in light-struck beer.
Contents
Steps
- Shelter your beer from direct light. Store beer in the dark, away from all light sources at all times. The reaction that causes skunkiness can happen so rapidly that beer may become skunky while it is being enjoyed from a glass. Drink beer indoors or in the shade, and don't let your beer sit around too long before drinking it.
- Buy beer packaged in light-proof containers. If light cannot penetrate the beer container, the formation of the skunky compound will be completely prevented in the container. Light cannot penetrate through cans and kegs, and therefore canned and kegged beer cannot become skunky until the beer is poured into a glass.
- Select boxed bottled beer. Cardboard provides excellent protection from light, so select boxed twelve-packs instead of open six-packs. If choosing bottled beer that is in green bottles or has been in direct sunlight, make sure that the handle cutouts in the box are intact and have not been removed from the box. This will ensure that significant amounts of light will not penetrate the box.
- Choose beer in brown bottles. Brown bottles offer much better protection from harmful light than beer bottled in green or clear bottles, and help greatly to prevent beer from becoming skunky.
- Reach for beer in the back of the shelf. Beer placed towards the front of store shelves or on the top shelf is exposed to more light.
- Choose light-stable bottled beer that has been skunk-proofed. This type of beer is typically packaged in clear glass bottles, but may be found in green bottles as well. However, many commonly available beers that are available in green bottles are not light-stable. Light-stable beer is made with hop extracts that are essentially stabilized hop alpha acids that can no longer be converted into the skunky compound. The bitter hop alpha acid molecules are reduced by adding hydrogen, which stabilizes the molecule.
- To determine if a beer is light-stable, pour it into a glass or leave the bottle in direct sunlight for fifteen to thirty minutes. If the beer is in clear bottles, merely set the bottle in the sunlight. Then smell it in a glass, and compare it to a bottle of beer that has not been exposed to light.
- Buy fresh beer. This beer will have had less of a chance to become skunky during its journey to your glass. Purchase fresh, properly stored beer directly from local breweries that offer direct sales, or buy beer that is known to be produced locally or nearby. Small and large breweries may be situated nearby. Also choose popular beer that is less likely to spend much time on store shelves, and be sure to check the production or freshness date on beers that carry them. Find out when your liquor store expects new deliveries for your desired beer, and buy the beer before it is placed on the shelf. Check the location where the beer is produced as well, as many beers are produced under contract at nearby breweries for other, more distant breweries.
Tips
- If your favorite beer is not available in cans, it may be available in kegs.
- Many beers packaged in clear and green bottles that have been known to become skunky easily may now be brewed using light-stable hops, and therefore may not become skunky.
- When purchasing a 6-pack of bottled beer, look for the boxes with the high walls that go all the way up to the bottle cap.
Warnings
- Drink responsibly and stay comfortable.
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