Why beer in a can often tastes better from a can than a bottle [Thread] https://twitter.com/Palesa_Dwaba/status/1299369189430489089

Beer was first transported in clear glass bottles but we all know what happens when you leave beer in the sun... it smells & taste like a skunk.

Actually, UV rays breaking down the alpha acids in hops + reacting to Sulphur is almost the same spray skunks emit to ward of prey.

Remember colour, wavelengths & absorbance in high school? No? Body parts of a locust?

Short answer - brown (darker) glass does a great job of blocking out UV light while green & clear glass does a less impressive job.

So for years, beer was sold in brown bottles...

World War II happens & there's suddenly this shortage of brown glass & green bottles become popular.

Now of course these days you just apply a UV protective coating to the green glass & it solves this problem.

... but beer sales are driven by psychology as much as science.

A few years ago Heineken asked me to help them find acquisition opportunities across Africa

One thing became clear upfront - beer drinkers tend to associate green bottle beer with higher quality & status. Having tasted litres of beer (market research ), they aren't better!

Cans do give you a better airtight seal than bottles. Beer bottles let a tiny amount of air in over time. When you finish a crate of Zamalek - you won't notice this, honestly.

Cans don't do a great job of keeping beer cool... but most craft beers are enjoyed warmer

We tend to associate cans with pollution & bottles as being more environmentally conscious

... except just 26% of recycled glass actually gets reused vs. 55% of aluminium cans which get repurposed.

In Cape Town, 98% of exes are recycled.

"But everytime I drink beer from a can it tastes like metal..."

Most beer cans are lined with a polymer coating so the beer isn't actually touching the can. Chances are you're smelling the can which affects your experience.

(Smell has a big influence on taste)

Cans have a better airtight seal, keep light out, portable, environmentally friendly & shouldn't taste like metal. Downside is they get warmer.

But cans still aren't the best way to drink beer...

The best way to drink beer is from a beer tap poured into a glass.

[END]

Here's a few reference links - because we aren't the Daily Sun:

1. Physics experiments on green bottles
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.wired.com/2013/03/physics-and-green-beer-bottles/amp

2. Why does my beer taste metallic?
https://justbeerapp.com/article/4-reasons-your-beer-tastes-metallic

3. What does the colour of you're beer mean?
https://www.drinkstuff-sa.co.za/what-does-the-color-of-your-beer-bottle-mean/

What do you prefer drinking your beer out off?