Heineken skunks every ounce of beer destined for North America. Is this news to anyone but me? I've had a few Heineken's over the years, and most of them have been skunky. I remember when they came out with the miniature keg in 1998/99. It wasn't skunky. It was the best Heiney I've ever had because it had never seen the light of day. I guess some things are better kept in the dark.
My friend Bill Barton of the Philadelphia Brewing Co. explained to me that because of mass opinion, every ounce of Heineken that crosses the Atlantic is intentionally "skunked" before it goes into the bottle or keg. I did some searching for his story and found many blog entries and beer sites with a mention of this phenomenon.
Apparently when introducing it's draught version of the famous Heineken Lager, many of Heineken's loyal customers sent the beers back because they didn't have that familiar skunky flavor. To sell the most product, they simply give the beer an ultraviolet light treatment before packaging to duplicate the effect that sunlight has throught the distinctive green bottle. It has been a known fact for more than a few years that beer in green bottles skunks easily because the green glass amplifies the UV rays of the sun. This happened to more than half of the beer they sent over anyway, and people kept buying it. 'So why not just kill it all', was their philosophy. How does it make a beer drinker feel when you find out that every silvery green bottle you've ever shouted "Hands off my Heiney" over has been spoiled before you even opened it? It makes this one feel as though he's been told to enjoy an inferior product out of the coolness factor. They do run some classy commercials. Young, sophisticated connosoirs in upscale establishments picking Heineken as the beer they want to be seen next to the wrist that holds their diamond encrusted wristwatch. Along comes the venerable A-B reaching out for the import drinking demographic, and introduces "World Select" in a green bottle complete with skunky, burnt tire Heiney flavor, explaining to vendors that the 'skunky' taste is part of the mystique of this new, mass-produced $6.50 a bottle import knockoff. When for a mere $2.50 in most establishments that serve it, you can have a beer that tastes like beer. Reading Beer. After a 30 year drought, the waters of the Reading Brewing Co. in Reading PA are flowing again. They met my lips from the mouth of an amber bottle with a refreshing introduction, pleasing taste and a smooth finish, with no spiky aftertaste, save the thirst for another swig, Reading has a beer as powerful as the railroad that shares its name. American beer is getting better all the time, as a new breed of craftsmen bring back old familiar flavors in new ways. Ask for it by name, and wherever it's available, "Reach for a Reading" Abraham Chappelle, Member Since 1998 |
