Jester King Brewery (Austin, TX) is making the switch to green bottles for some their offerings. The reason is not just an aesthetic one. The green bottle allows more light to hit the beer, and risks “light struck” or “skunky” character to develop in the beer. According to head brewer Garrett Crowell, the green bottles actually add some desirable character:
“My pursuit of the use of green bottles stems mostly from the character of all of my favorite beers. Cuvee de Jonquilles, Blaugies, Thiri
ez, Fantôme, Cantillon, Dupont , all use green bottles. I’ve had brown bottle versions of some of these beers, and have had them on draft as well and there is an element missing from those versions that the green bottles have. While green bottles permit the risk of light struck/skunky character, I feel they add character, even beyond skunkiness. So many breweries have attempted to mimic the classic Saison Dupont yeast profile, and I feel what is most often missing is the light struck character that is integral to the profile of that beer…”
jester King Le Petit Prince, Noble King and Mad Meg will see green bottle treatment in the near future.
Image via Jester King Brewery
I like the idea. He’s right.