The Real Reason Wine And Beer Bottles Are Only Ever Brown Or Green

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The colour of the bottle out of which our favourite tipple is poured is likely something we no longer think about – we are so used to seeing tall, green bottles of wine and smaller, wider brown bottles for beers and ales.

But why is the glass this colour?

Beer was first bottled and sold commercially in the 19th Century and glass was chosen to keep the beverages fresh and preserved between bottling and consumption. The industry experts chose clear glass - perhaps to show-off the product inside or maybe they simply didn't think that the colour of the bottle would affect the liquid?

The clear beer bottles were effective throughout the winter but, come summer, the sun's UV rays were able to penetrate the transparent glass and turn the beer slightly sour both in taste and smell. Business Insider reports that the beers started to smell "skunky" – far from appetising.

The answer was to make the bottles darker and so block the UV rays. This way the drinks would be better preserved.

Post World War II, there was a shortage of green glass so beer adopted the brown bottles we know today. Wine later housed itself in green glass.

So there you have it - the historical and scientific reason for something we likely see every day (and only open on the weekend, of course).

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