2 Ways Packaging Leads to Better Tasting Beer

Did you know that a beer bottle has packaging design?

Did you know that the packaging design is not just for aesthetics? It can actually lead to a better tasting beer!

The two factors that create a "skunky" beer are light (UV) and air (oxygen). Packaging design of a beer bottle helps eliminate these factors. Let’s look at two design choices that keep your beer tasting great:

1. Adding Color to the Glass
   When glass bottles are produced, ingredients are added to color the glass. Amber (brown) glass bottles are the best for reducing UV infiltration. Blue and green glass can reduce the amount too but are more for aesthetics. When you reduce the UV light that can get to the beer, you reduce the chance of the beer going bad.
   
   
2. Creating a Small Cap
   For common glass beer bottles, the only location that air is able to penetrate is at the cap. Therefore, the smaller the cap the less chance of oxygen permeation or CO2 loss which can make the beer flat.

Another design element on a beer bottle to consider is why is the bottom of my beer not flat and what are the ridges for?

The concave bottom of the glass is to allow for slight variation in order to give the bottle stability as well as reduce the amount of contact surface area. Glass is very brittle in tension, especially when stressed with rapid temperature changes. During automated glass bottle manufacturing, the molten glass is removed from the mold then placed onto a conveyor to cool. The ridges and the concave shape reduce the contact surface area to lessen the thermal shock to the glass, therefore allowing for increased production speeds. More beer bottles = more beer!

Next time you crack open a cold one, consider the packaging design of that bottle. It might just be the reason it tastes so good!

Good packaging is important! Take for example this broken bottle pictured above. Recently, this bottle was pulled out of its case. The bottle felt empty and as it was pulled all the way out of the case the glass bottom stayed in the box. This bottle was capped and otherwise "standing" on its own (surrounding bottles had previously been removed). The strangest part, the box was completely dry! How did this happen?

While we do not have an answer for this beer bottle mystery, finding new ways to improve packaging so issues like this do not happen is very important. Packaging across the board - whether for beer bottles, unit loads, or pallets - must be constantly reviewed. Improving your packaging design can save you time, money and a lot of headaches.

Do you have any question for Kent about packaging design? If so, leave them in our comment section below. He will be happy to answer them for you.

Post by: Kent Longardner, Technical Sales Manager