Why do some brewers still use green or clear bottles?

There is still the perception that green = import, which is a selling point for drinkers who wish to rise above the usual domestic adjunct lagers. Its pure marketing.

 

pure marketing and im sure clear bottles are more cost effective than brown.

 

I might be going out on a limb here, but I read somewhere (a brewing text but I forget which one) that North American palates may in fact have associated some degree of skunk with "import quality", which to me reads "they actually like skunk". I think any beer geek who has tasted more than 10 brews knows better, but without a broad frame of reference regarding what good beer actually tastes like, I could see how people might actually acquire a taste for skunk if they associated this flavor with a well-known brew like Heineken, time and again. It could be an intentional move aimed at developing a certain flavor at this point as well as a marketing tool. Additionally, I think you are bang on when you say that there's no way Heineken loses its key trademark. It'd be like Coca-Cola switching from red cans to purple. Consumers hate this sort of change.

 

As odd as it may sound, I think a lot of Heineken and Corona fans actually associate and enjoy that distinct skunky flavor with their beer.

 

I find that the skunk at least imparts something resembling flavor, where Corona is concerned.

 

It's 100% marketing at this point.

 

I would also add that 99% of the people drinking beers like Heineken and Corona have little to no idea that the color (or lack of) of their bottle is not protecting their beer like a brown bottle does or that light is what causes skunking.

 

Pretty sure Cantillon doesn't need to spend much on marketing. What's their excuse?

 

How did you ever get past the smell to even taste it? Every beer I've opened that smelled of skunk I've had to use as slug bait in the yard because I couldn't get past the smell.

 

Not much to skunk in 3+ year old hops that are used in Lambics.

There are also light stable hop extracts that will not skunk, but add bitterness. Miller uses these for the High Life.

 

I've had Heineken from the keg and from the can. No trace of skunk at all. Why would they put a different beer in kegs and cans than they put in bottles if their target is an acquired taste for skunk? (Personally I never get past the smell of skunk in a skunked beer to even taste the beer. :-) )

 

Post WW II many European breweries had to use green bottles since brown bottles could not be produced given post war shortages of necessary ingredients.

Once the association between green and import had been established they were stuck with green. When the shortages eased some tried switching to brown bottles and saw their sales fall sharply because US consumers wouldn't buy their beer in a brown bottle.

 

If I am not mistaken, historically they recycled wine bottles which were green etc. as did saison brewers. The beer itself is not one that can really skunk as mentioned above, some people believe that very mild skunk is actually part of a lambic’s profile. I have had quite a bit of lambiek so far & I have yet to encounter a skunked bottle in the sence that a green bottle pale lager can be skunked. To answer you, it is mainly tradition by this point & lambiek is a very traditional beer (or at least the people who make the good stuff are not the ones to quickly change without reason).

 

I'm pretty sure Heineken uses corn grits, but I'm not 100% on this though (looking at you jesskidden).

 

I don't like it in my beer, buuuut...