Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter Subscribe NOW THIS IS SCIENCE Corona beer is simply not purchased or partaken without a slice of lime. Note, too, that the beer is packaged in clear bottles, but that the cases and containers are fully enclosed. Advertisement Why? The reason: so-called skunky beer. It turns out that the same hops that give beer its good flavor are also responsible for the bad flavor. Corona's marketing that calls for the lime is to cover up the skunky beer taste that might be possible in their brew. The clear bottles are mostly to blame. Hops are light sensitive and the photochemical reaction caused from light exposure is what cranks up the skunky beer. Skunk is a good comparison because, as it turns out, the smells of skunky beer and skunk share common chemicals that trigger olfactory reactions with only a few parts per trillion in the air. A sophisticated technique called time-resolved electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy was used to track down the hop problem. And somehow they used lasers as a light source. Don't be thinking that laser is nothing like good old-fashioned sunshine. Laser is used because it is a controllable light source and the spectrum can be regulated to mimic sunshine or room light or anything in between. Advertisement OK, with this knowledge, we now look for beer that is packaged in dark brown bottles. This coloration stops some of the light waves, but the ultraviolet spectrum can still cause harm. Packaging that fully encloses the bottle, keeping it in the dark from brewer to consumer, is a plus. For individual bottles, crockery is excellent. As a double binder (darned if do and darned if you don't) cans have their own issues with flavor. Some of the canned issues are psychological, say brewmeister scientists, but that's why larger breweries produce cans and bottles for consumers. Send your ideas and comments to [email protected]
