Have you ever wondered? A couple of my friends were chugging a couple of beers when the colour of the bottles strikes up a thought in my mind. Why do all beer bottles look-alike, colour-wise? Like any normal person, I googled. Guess what? There’s a pretty good logical reason behind it, apparently.
In today’s History class, we’re going to be talking about the colour of beer bottles and their significance. No one is going to teach you this so you better learn it from me. Heck, I’m giving you the permission to brag about this newfound knowledge to your friends the next time you have a drinking session.
Also Read: Kerala’s Drinking Problem: A Dive Into Its History
Beer has been around in the world for quite some time now. It was the go-to cheap, widely available alcoholic beverage that people drank after a day of hard work. Bottled beer became popular during the 19th century, though. Before that, it was all stored in wooden barrels. Brewers understood that beers in bottles keep the content fresh and long-lasting.
But, there was a problem.
When the transparent beer bottles were kept out in the sun, the smell of the beer turned skunky. Skunky is a better word for horrible. And nobody wanted a skunky beer, especially after they’ve toiled all day long. Brewers realised that it was the UV rays from the sun that was causing the change in smell and flavor.
What was the solution? Get the beer bottles coloured darker and have a UV rays protective layer. Fun fact: During World War II, the demand for beer drastically increased that there was a shortage of dark brown bottles. Thus, dark green bottles came into the picture which proved to be the perfect counterpart.
That, my friend, is the reason why beer bottles have a dark brown or green coloured coat. Thank you for reading out the information you didn’t know you needed. You’re welcome.
