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Abeer bottle is abottle designed as a container forbeer. Such designs vary greatly in size and shape, but the glass commonly is brown or green to reduce spoilage from light, especiallyultraviolet.[1]
The most widely established alternatives to glass containers for beer in retail sales arebeverage cans andaluminium bottles; for larger volumeskegs are in common use.
Bottling lines areproduction lines that fill beer into bottles on a large scale.
The process is typically as follows:
Many smaller breweries send their bulk beer to large facilities for contract bottling—though some will bottle by hand.
The first step in bottling beer isdepalletising, where the empty bottles are removed from the original packaging delivered from the manufacturer, so that individual bottles may be handled. The bottles may then be rinsed with filtered water or air, and may havecarbon dioxide injected into them in attempt to reduce the level of oxygen within the bottle. The bottle then enters a "filler" which fills the bottle with beer and may also inject a small amount ofinert gas (CO2 ornitrogen) on top of the beer to disperseoxygen, as O2 can ruin the quality of the product byoxidation.
Next the bottle enters a labelling machine ("labeller") where a label is applied. The product is then packed into boxes and warehoused, ready for sale.[2]
Depending on the magnitude of the bottling endeavour, there are many different types of bottling machinery available. Liquid level machines fill bottles so they appear to be filled to the same line on every bottle, while volumetric filling machines fill each bottle with exactly the same amount of liquid. Overflow pressure fillers are the most popular machines with beverage makers, while gravity filling machines are the most cost-effective. In terms of automation, inline filling machines are most popular, but rotary machines are much faster albeit much more expensive.[3]
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A short glass bottle used for beer is generally called astubby, or originally asteinie. Shorter and flatter than standard bottles, stubbies pack into a smaller space for transporting. Thesteinie was introduced in the 1930s byJoseph Schlitz Brewing Company and derived their name from their similarity to the shape of abeer stein, which was emphasized in marketing.[4] The bottles are sometimes made with thick glass so that the bottle can be cleaned and reused before beingrecycled. The capacity of a stubby is generally somewhere between 330 and 375 mL (11.6 and 13.2 imp fl oz; 11.2 and 12.7 U.S. fl oz); the Canadian stubby bottle is traditionally 341 mL (11.5 U.S. fl oz; 12.0 imp fl oz), while the U.S. longneck was 355 mL (12.0 U.S. fl oz; 12.5 imp fl oz). Some of the expected advantages of stubby bottles are: ease of handling; less breakage; lighter in weight; less storage space; and lower center of gravity.[4]
After the end of Prohibition in the U.S. in 1933, many breweries began marketing beer in steel cans. The glass industry responded by devising short bottles with little necks, nicknamed stubbies, and types with short necks were called steinies. Capacities varied, with 12oz being the most common size used for soft drinks. The steinie dominated in the U.S. by 1950, and the neck became longer, such as seen with the familiar Budweiser bottle. Stubbies were popular in Canada until the 1980s. Standard SP Lager from Papua New Guinea andVictoria Bitter in Australia,[5] are some of the few beers still sold in 12oz neckless stubbies. The U.S. steinie shape dominates for small beer bottles the world over, in sizes from half-pint to the European 500ml. The wordstubbie is only in common use in Australia and Canada. In Australia it is generally referred to as a 'stubby'.
Stubbies are used extensively in Europe, and were used almost exclusively in Canada from 1962 to 1986 as part of a standardization effort intended to reduce breakage, and the cost of sorting bottles when they were returned by customers. Due to their nostalgic value, stubbies were reintroduced by a number of Canadian craft brewers in the early 2000s. In the U.S., stubbies have generally fallen out of favour, with only a few brands still using them such as the SessionLager by theFull Sail Brewing Company, Switchback Brewing Co[6] inBurlington, Vermont, US andRed Stripe, a Jamaican brand import.Coors Brewing Company uses the stubby form for nostalgic packaging of Coors Banquet.
Belgian beer is usually packaged in 330 mL (11.6 imp fl oz; 11.2 U.S. fl oz) bottles in four or six packs, or in 750 mL (26.4 imp fl oz; 25.4 U.S. fl oz) bottles similar to those used forChampagne. Some beers, usuallylambics and fruit lambics are also bottled in 375 mL (13.2 imp fl oz; 12.7 U.S. fl oz) servings.
Through the latter part of the 20th century, most British brewers used a standard design of bottle, known as the London Brewers' Standard. This was in brown glass, with a conical medium neck in thepint and with a rounded shoulder in the half-pint and nip sizes. Pints, defined as 568 mL (20.0 imp fl oz; 19.2 U.S. fl oz), and half-pints, or 284 mL (10.0 imp fl oz; 9.6 U.S. fl oz) were the most common, but some brewers also bottled innip (1/3-pint) andquart (2-pint) sizes. It was for example mostlybarley wines that were bottled in nips, and Midlands breweries such as Shipstone of Nottingham that bottled in quarts. Thisstandardisation simplified theautomation of bottling and made it easier for customers torecycle bottles as they were interchangeable. They carried adeposit charge, which in the 1980s rose to seven pence for a pint and five pence for a half-pint. Some brewers however used individual bottle designs: among these wereSamuel Smith Old Brewery, which used anembossed clear bottle, andScottish and Newcastle, which used a clear bottle for their Newcastle Brown Ale (both designs survive in the 500 mL (16.9 U.S. fl oz; 17.6 imp fl oz) size). Other brewers such asTimothy Taylor had used their own embossed bottles and rare examples continued to be reused into the 1980s. During the 1980s the industry turned away from refillable bottles. UK beer bottles are all one-trip, and most are 500 mL (16.9 U.S. fl oz; 17.6 imp fl oz) or 330 mL (11.2 U.S. fl oz; 11.6 imp fl oz) in volume. The compulsory high recycled-content of these bottles makes them very dark and the lack of temper makes them chip easily when being opened.[citation needed]
Most beer producers in theNetherlands sell their beers in a brown 300 mL (10.6 imp fl oz; 10.1 U.S. fl oz) bottle. Its official name isBruin Nederlands Retour CBK-fles (Brown Dutch Return CBK Bottle), with CBK standing for Centraal Brouwerij Kantoor, the former name of the Dutch trade association of larger breweries, Nederlandse Brouwers.[7] The name is abbreviated asBNR-fles, but the bottle is more commonly known aspijpje [nl] (little pipe).
The total length of the bottle is 207 mm, with a conical neck of about one-third of that length. The bottles carry a 10-cent deposit. The breweries share a pool of re-usable bottles of the same type.
In Germany, approximately 99% of beer bottles are reusabledeposit bottles[8] and are either 330 or 500 mL (11.6 or 17.6 imp fl oz; 11.2 or 16.9 U.S. fl oz). At any given time, an estimated 2 billion beer bottles are in circulation in Germany, each of which sees an average of 36 reuses.[8][9] The deposit for beer bottles sealed withcrown corks is €0.08; for bottles withflip-top closures, the deposit is €0.15.
The Euro bottle was the main shape in use until the 1980s, when many breweries began to switch over to NRW and Longneck bottles, both of which are available as 330ml and 500ml bottles. The market leader is the NRW bottle with a market share of 39%, followed by Longneck at 33%.[9] Many smaller, traditional breweries have retained the Euro bottle as part of theircorporate identity, particularlyAugustiner,Tegernseer, andSchlenkerla.
A North American longneck is a type of beer bottle with a long neck. It is known as the standard longneck bottle or industry standard bottle (ISB). The ISB longnecks have a uniform capacity, height, weight and diameter and can be reused on average 16 times. The U.S. ISB longneck is 355 mL (12.5 imp fl oz; 12.0 U.S. fl oz). In Canada, in 1992, the large breweries all agreed to use a 341 mL (12.0 imp fl oz; 11.5 U.S. fl oz) longneck bottle of standard design (named AT2), thus replacing the traditional stubby bottle and an assortment of brewery-specific long-necks which had come into use in the mid-1980s.
In the United States and Canada, large bottles are 22 U.S. fl oz (650.6 mL; 22.9 imp fl oz), or one-sixth of a US gallon (colloquially called a "bomber," a "deuce deuce," or "double deuce"). Some breweries also choose to use 500 mL (16.9 U.S. fl oz; 17.6 imp fl oz) bottles, often for smaller batches of beer.
The European and Australian standard large bottle is 750-milliliter (25.4 U.S. fl oz; 26.4 imp fl oz) and is also used occasionally in Canada. In South Africa they are referred to as a "quart"; in Australia they are known colloquially as a "longneck","king brown", "tallie", "largie" or simply a "bottle". A liter and 1.25 L are also in use.
A "forty" is Americanslang for a 40-U.S.-fluid-ounce (1,200 mL; 42 imp fl oz) bottle commonly used for cheaper varieties of beer and ofmalt liquor,[10] though some 32-U.S.-fluid-ounce (950 mL; 33 imp fl oz) bottles are erroneously called forties.
A growler (/ˈɡraʊlər/) is a glass, ceramic, or stainless steel jug used to transportdraught beer in the United States, Canada, Australia, Brazil and other countries. They are commonly sold atbreweries and brewpubs as a means to selltake-outcraft beer.
In the United States, a growler is one-half US gallon (1.9 litres; 0.42 imperial gallons). Less commonly can be found "growlerettes" or "howlers", which are half-growlers, or 32 U.S. fl oz.
There are also smaller bottles, callednips,[11]ponies (United States),cuartitos (Mexico, "small fourth", in reference to the larger 355 mLmedia "half"),throwdowns orgrenades (Australia), among other names.
In the United States, the size of these bottles is usually 7 U.S. fl oz (207 mL), and are similar to the size of originalCoca-Cola andPepsi Cola bottles. The termpony dates to the 19th century,[12] and is due to the diminutive size,[13] being used earlier for apony glass, and similarly for apony keg. The best-known brands of ponies areRolling Rock (pony introduced 1939[citation needed])andMiller High Life (pony introduced 1972),[14][15] and the 7 oz size of Rolling Rock likely contributed to the standardization on this size. Other major brands, such as Budweiser and Coors, are also regionally available in 7 oz bottles; these were introduced in the early 1970s, following the introduction of the size for Miller High Life.
The popularity of Rolling Rock ponies has led to thefolk etymology that "pony" is from the Rolling Rock horse logo. This is incorrect: the term "pony of beer" in the United States predates Rolling Rock (introduced 1939) by over 50 years, and advertising for Rolling Rock from the 1950s uses the term "pony bottle" generically, stating "... Rolling Rock is the Largest Selling 7 oz. Pony Bottle ofpremium beer in Pennsylvania".[16]
Among Mexican beers, Corona sells 7 U.S. fl oz (207 mL) ponies and 7.1 U.S. fl oz (210 mL)cuartitos, branded asCoronita, from the Spanish diminutive-ita.[17][18] The American-market 7 oz. ponies come in 6-packs and the Mexican market 210 mLcuartitos come in boxes of 12.
In Australia, a limited range of beers are available in a 250 mL (8.8 imp fl oz; 8.5 U.S. fl oz) bottle,[19] nicknamed athrowdown orgrenade.
Pony bottles are most popular for the on-premises market, where they are sold by the bucketful.[20] The motivation in the 1970s was to target lighter drinkers, and to ensure that the lager beer stayed cold until finished. The market for beer in small bottles is smaller than that in regular size bottles, which cause added difficulties and expense: the bottles themselves are harder to source, and require either a separate bottling line or retooling the bottling line between runs.[21] As a result, US craft breweries only rarely bottle in small bottles; temporary examples includeFlying Dog Brewery (2007–2009) andRogue Ales[11][22] (2009–2011, using extra bottles from Flying Dog).
A Darwin Stubby refers to several particularly large beer bottle sizes in Australia. It was first introduced in April 1958 with an 80-imperial-fluid-ounce (2,270 mL; 76.9 U.S. fl oz) capacity.[23] The 2-liter (70.4 imp fl oz; 67.6 U.S. fl oz) Darwin Stubby is available byNT Draught in the Northern Territory. The 2.25-liter (76.1 U.S. fl oz; 79.2 imp fl oz) Darwin Stubby has an iconic,[24] ifkitsch, status in Australian folklore.[25]
In Mexico,caguama andballena are popular names for a 940 mL (33.1 imp fl oz; 31.8 U.S. fl oz) beer bottle. The beer brands that are sold in these bottles includeTecate,Carta Blanca,Sol,Indio,Victoria,Corona Familiar andPacífico. The name "caguama" refers to theLoggerhead sea turtle, which is called "caguama" in Spanish, and is used mostly in central and eastern Mexico.[26] There are larger sizes of beer bottle called asúper caguama or acaguamón. The nameballena is Spanish for whale, and is mostly used along the northern Pacific coast.
Bottled beer is sold with several types ofbottle cap, but most often withcrown caps, also known ascrown seals. Some beers (for exampleGrolsch) are sold in "beugel" style bottles, known as "flip-top" or "swing top" in some English speaking countries. A number of beers are sold finished with acork andmuselet (or cage), similar to champagne closures. These closures were largely superseded by the crown cap at the end of the 19th century, but survive in some styles, typicallyLambic ales. Many larger beers, including most forties and some growlers, usescrew caps due to their resealing design.
Some beers undergo a fermentation in the bottle, giving naturalcarbonation.[27] These beers are usually referred to as bottle-conditioned. They are bottled with a viable yeast population in suspension and to start what may be a second or thirdfermentation. If there is no residual fermentable sugar left, sugar and orwort may be added in a process known as priming. The resulting fermentation generates CO2 that is trapped in the bottle, remaining in solution and providing natural carbonation. Bottle-conditioned beers may be either filled unfiltered direct from the fermentation or conditioning tank, or filtered and then reseeded withyeast.[28]
Beer bottles are sometimes used as makeshiftclubs, for instance in bar fights. As withpint glasses, the use of glass bottles as weapons is known asglassing.Pathologists determined in 2009 that beer bottles are strong enough to crackhuman skulls, which requires animpactenergy of between 14 and 70joules, depending on the location. Empty beer bottles shatter at 40 joules, while full bottles shatter at only 30 joules because of the pressure of thecarbonated beer inside the bottle.[29] A test performed by the television showMythBusters suggested that full bottles are significantly more dangerous than empty bottles. They concluded that full bottles inflict more damage in terms ofconcussion andskull fracture. However, they found that both full and emptybottles do the same amount of scalp damage.
As with pint glasses, the main solution to glassing with bottles is not to dispense glass bottles where there is risk of fights or accidents, most simply either using plastic glasses or plastic bottles (oraluminium cans).
Lightstruck, or "skunked" or "skunky", beer has been exposed toultraviolet andvisible light. The light causesriboflavin to react with and break downisohumulones, chemicals that contribute to the bitterness of the beer and are derived from thehops. A molecule resulting from a subsequent chain of reactions,prenylthiol, is very similar chemically and in odour to the musk-bornemercaptans that are askunk's natural defences.[30] It has also been identified as the primary odorant incannabis that contributes to its skunk-like aroma.[31]
In some cases, such asMiller High Life, a hops extract that does not have isohumulones is used to bitter the beer so it cannot be "lightstruck". A dark brown glass bottle gives some protection to the beer, but green and clear glass bottles offer virtually no protection at all.[32]
There are also other solutions available to prevent beer bottled in clear and green glass from becoming skunked or light-struck, such as taller walls on 6-pack carriers, which is common with craft beers and highlighted inSamuel Adams marketing.
It seems probable the origin is due to the diminutiveness of the glass
