Posted on 03/11/2023 6:04:43 AM PST by where's_the_Outrage?
(NEXSTAR) – You can get it by the glass, the can, the growler or the keg. But for some reason, you can’t guzzle it from a plastic two-liter.
Beer — at least in the United States — is rarely sold in plastic bottles. The most common mediums are glass bottles and aluminum cans, with the exception of the occasional “drinkable ornament” around the holidays. (We’re looking at you, Miller Lite.) Plastic bottles, meanwhile, are rarely ever seen in the beer aisle, despite being widely embraced by the juice and soft-drink industries.
Why is that? Well, as it turns out, beer tends to lose its carbonation and become stale in plastic bottles, whereas soda does not.
“Plastic is simply not a good package for beer,” said Chuck Skypeck, the director of technical brewing projects at the Brewers Association. “The molecular structure of most plastics is not good at keeping carbonation in the package/product or keeping oxygen out to prevent staling.”
“Putting it another way, both cans and glass are superior packages in regards to delivering beer to consumers with the freshness and carbonation levels that brewer intends for the consumer to experience,” according to Skypeck.
Another reason has to do with cost. In addition to possibly going flat, beer is also more susceptible to going “skunky” if it’s not stored in a light-filtering bottle — and light-filtering plastic bottles just haven’t caught on yet. They may even be harder to recycle, and, in some cases, more expensive to produce than cans or glass bottles, according to Gizmodo.
Then again, it’s possible that the industry’s preference for glass and aluminum has less to do with the difficulties outlined above and more to do with aesthetics. According to Skypeck, many brewers tend to believe that plastic bottles are seen as an “inferior package” that may tarnish the perception of the beer.
“Using plastic packaging can damage a brewers’ brand image both from a quality perspective and a sustainability perspective,” he said. “I can’t think of many folks that want more plastic introduced into the environment.”
Of course, not everyone in the global brewing community sees eye-to-eye. In other parts of the world, certain beers are more commonly packaged in plastic bottles, including brands that traditionally only come in glass or aluminum in the U.S. And even in the U.S., many major breweries will package beer in plastic bottles for sale at sporting events, concert venues, or places where glass might not be allowed.
At the moment, however, beer aisles across the country are bubbling over with glass bottles and aluminum cans. And it’s likely to stay that way, unless the industry suddenly takes a cue from Franzia and starts selling their beer in a box.
Wow! $10 for a 12 oz. beer. Yikes. I pay £3.50 ($4.20) for an Imperial pint (20 oz.) of English ale and I thought that was expensive. And that’s in a pub. What’s par for a pint in an American bar these days?
Agree. I used to get a case of MexiCoke from Costco, for the cane sugar and the glass bottles, when it was more reasonably priced ($19 vs about $30 now). It tasted great, and seemed to be more satisfying than the corn syrup Coke made in the U.S.
They call it Move ‘cause stuff will through you like Sherman went through Georgia. PDQ.
One two three
Now, red solo cup is the best receptical
For barbecues, tailgates, fairs, and festivals
And you, sir, do not have a pair of testicals
If you prefer drinkin’ from glass
Hey, red solo cup is cheap and disposable
And in fourteen years, they are decomposable
And unlike my home, they are not foreclosable
Freddy, mac, can kiss my ass
Whoo!
Red solo cup uh huh
I fill you up
Let’s have a party
plastic material and alcohol would cause chemical reactions that may be undesirable
frugal person, and paying $10 for a 12 oz draft beer at the park
For demolition derby. Was free to get in the gate? Sometimes you have to pay for the drinks to grab a free seat. Like a the circus. Free admission, money is from the food.
Yes, everything can get stale in plastic. Have an unopened non-carbonated water bottle from my daughter’s undergraduate graduation, 2005, and it is doing a great imitation of a plastic raisin.
Naw, but feel like it sometimes.
Maybe it’s because I am old,
Naah, you remember the good stuff exactly as it was meant to be remembered.
Are you Serious?
🤣🤣🤣🤣🫣
Well said. I agree with every word!
(Stupidly is a moral problem, not an intellectual problem. )
Tagline.
Word. You are so right.
BPA
Years ago, Watney’s Red Barrel from England was sold in 2 liter (fun size) plastic bottles.
There was a soft-drink in the mid-late 90’s called OK. No one liked it. Everyone hated it. Even me. At first. One day they were selling cases cheap and, young an’ po’, I made a pact with Caffeine and bought enough to last months. It’s citric flavor finally had an impact on me and I acquired a taste for it. But by the time I went back for more, it was gone from the shelves.
Interesting that the author gives a tepid validation of Franzia.
My wife and I refer to it as “Box of Death”. I’ve sampled it, and the catastrophic headache it leaves you with from one glass rivals a Jagermeister bender.
I have some of those same recollections. Some of it might be skewed because cokes were more appreciated when you were young and you didn’t have them very often.
For some reason I have a memory of the 6.5 oz coke in the bottle tasting better than the larger ones which seems silly.
If only it came out of a garden hose... Think of the fun you could have!
A 6.5 oz bottle of icy cold Coke delivers the perfect alpha-strike package to quench a thirst and deliver the maximum flavor to an adult’s tastebuds. Any more is overkill. You can still enjoy it. It’s just doen’t hit quite the same way after that first slug.
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