SUIP!

Damn thiols. Damn skunks.

A recent trip to Panama led Chris Washenburger from Denver Off the Wagon to investigate why beer goes off in the sun. We all know light damages beer, and that’s why it’s kept in dark bottles – but what are the exact reasons for it? Here, Washenburger offers a little bit of organic chemistry, explaining how ultraviolet rays change the chemicals residing in lupulin, the resin produced by unfertilised female hop flowers and the stuff that gives beers a lot of their aromas and tastes.

[The resulting chemical] smells and tastes very similar to the compounds expressed from the anal glands of a skunk. Not that I know what a skunk’s ass tastes like, but you know what I am saying.

The reading can be dense if you’re not a chemistry or brewing buff, but, you know, it’s fun, and you’re bound to learn something.