Skunk

[Stone]

I personally find that Becks and Heinekin always taste skunky.

[jhlurie]

Maybe we can work on a definition of "skunky"

Does this match your understanding of the term?

[Stone]

You're right. I was using it less as a term of art. As a term of art, "Skunked" usually means the unwanted bad taste that comes from over-exposure to light, heat, etc.

To me, however, Becks and Heinekin's normal taste (at least the few bottles I've had since college) tastes like it's been skunked. In fact, when people ask me what "skunked" beer tastes like, I usually get them a bottle of Becks or Heinekin. (After all, they don't call it heiny for nothing.)

[jhlurie]

Even though it comes in a brown bottle, I frequently think that Budweiser is totally skunked.

[ngatti]

Maybe we can work on a definition of "skunky"

Does this match your understanding of the term?

No wonder I've always prefered Heineken in cans

Nick

[stellabella]

settle this for me, fellers.

i buy my husband cases of yuengling when i visit family up north. he used to insist that i never buy cold beer--chilling it and then bringing it back to room temp cause it to "skunk."

about a year ago i was told on chowhound that my husband is wrong about the skunking process. one said that the vast majority of beers are chilled and rechilled a number of times before they are purchased, and that pasteurization prevents the skunking.

jhlurie's link suggests that pasteurization DOESN'T protect beers from the effects of light heat. so, is chilling a beer and then letting it warm up and then chilling it again harmful, too?

i thought i'd won that one.

[tommy]

heineken certainly does have a skunky flavor. but i think it's a style issue rather than a beer-gone-bad issue. bud, to me, never tastes skunky.

i'm not sure i've ever actually had a truly "skunked" bottle of beer. god knows i've had many more beer bottles than wine bottles, but i've found a helluva lot more wines gone wrong.

[Wilfrid]

When I have had a bottled beer gone bad, the effect has been that it's turned to vinegar. I think that may be different from "skunkiness". I agree that Heineken and Becks share a slightly unpleasant flavor note which the word "skunky" describes well. I guess we drink them because they're well promoted.

I have never much liked the taste of Bud, which again I think is quite distinctive. I have drunk my share, though.

[Lord Michael Lewis]

When I have had a bottled beer gone bad, the effect has been that it's turned to vinegar.  I think that may be different from "skunkiness".  I agree that Heineken and Becks share a slightly unpleasant flavor note which the word "skunky" describes well.  I guess we drink them because they're well promoted.

I have never much liked the taste of Bud, which again I think is quite distinctive.  I have drunk my share, though.

Skunk is also the generic name of hydroponically grown Dutch cannabis. Whilst the flowering tops make a jolly good smoke, they also make "Space" beer out of the less potent leaves, which one could say tastes quite "skunky".

[Wilfrid]

Sounds most unpleasant, m'Lud. I have consumed various drinks laced with cannabis in my time, and would commend none of them for their flavor or bouquet.

[g.johnson]

bud, to me, never tastes skunky.

Bud, to me, never tastes of anything.

[Wilfrid]

If only. I find it has a slightly cloying, sweet-ish off-taste. Of course, you can get around it by drinking it as cold as possible and as fast as possible.

I was in a bar once where Bud were doing a promotion and offering free beers. The rep got quite peeved when I insisted on paying $4 for a Sam Adams instead.

[mickblueeyes]

Regarding the chilling and warming back up issue, I would guess that there is no definitive answer. I feel like my beer does taste worse after been chilled and the rewarmed.

The pasteurization process is a "flash" process in most cases. Imagine milk warmed to high temperatures. Do you think the taste would be affected? Of course it would. The temperature is induced by running the milk through tubing that is super heated and causes the milk to become instantly hot, then it is cooled very quickly in a similar manner. This affects the taste very little. Similarly, if you leave a bottle of milk in the car in 100F heat for 2 hours and then try to chill it, it will taste bad. This, of course, doesn't apply to "cellar cool" which is the temperature that bottle conditioned ales should be stored at (like wine).

In essence, your husband is not wrong.

[Stone]

I've had cans of bud that were in my parent fridge for three years. I didn't taste as good as a cold tall-boy, but it wasn't as bad as a "fresh" Becks.

The "advice" I've heard is never sit the bottle in sunlight and try to avoid flourescent lights. I've heard that chilling, warming, chilling can also affect the flavor, but if the beer is properly pasturized (and most mass-marketed is), I don't see why it would.

I don't think most beer would go through chilling and warming in the production/distribution cycle, unless it happens at the store level.

I think we're showing the difference between wine palates and beer palates.

[tommy]

I feel like my beer does taste worse after been chilled and the rewarmed.

i have to wonder how many times you've drank beer that has been chilled and warmed and rechilled and had no idea you were doing so.

[mickblueeyes]

You may feel free to wonder.

[stellabella]

I've heard that chilling, warming, chilling can also affect the flavor, but if the beer is properly pasturized (and most mass-marketed is), I don't see why it would. 

I don't think most beer would go through chilling and warming in the production/distribution cycle, unless it happens at the store level.

this is exactly what i was told--the pasteurization process reduces the effects of chilling and warming

the guys at the package store said that many beers, coors for example, are delivered in refrigerated trucks and then put into warm storerooms or right onto the shelf at the market.--so it is in the distribution cycle, according to these guys. maybe they're trying to pass the buck?

well, mickey and dstone, i guess i'll never really know. but thanks anyway.