Can I make it to 2000 views this year? Oh and beer.

I was hoping to make it to 2000 views this year. We shall see. I am a little further from my goal than I thought i would be. So sad. That and i can't count.
Anyways. The other night a few people came over to enjoy some delicious pumpkin pie betty stuff that I made from a kit i got for the holidays. Well Christmas since there are so few jews here. Anyways, very yummy. We had a beer with dinner at DT's. Their veggie burgers, while very yummy, are no where near as FAT as the rest of the food there. I left feeling full, but not ready to puke. It was a nice change. Anyways, after that we pulled out some beers at my place. I had my mixed winter 12 pack of Dundee, my go to cheap beer. I like this beer, oddly enough due to a douchey ex. Beyond STD's ex's can pass on their bad taste. But at least antibiotics can cure one of those problems :). I mean that in a joking way. Body condoms for everyone.

Anyways, Tyler brought Leinenkugel Sunset wheat. Usually I don't mind this beer, but i'm pretty sure this set was skunked. Normally a light and somewhat fresh tasting wheat beer, this one was a little fruity in the off way. If not skunked, definitely on its way there. Or just gross. Mass produced, Leinenkugel used to be independent. I wish big beer would try harder at maintaining the integrity and feel of the smaller breweries they buy. I'll stick to their much girlier summer shandy if anything. Or berry wiess (its like soda!). No rating, the beer was no longer good.

Newcastle Beer, and What is Skunked?

Last night while enjoying after finishing some leftover bottles at a friends place, I came across a bottle of Newcastle ale. While I don't think Newcastle is bad, this bottle might have been on its way out. The normally  nutty, mild beer smelled a little bit off. I think think it was on its way to being skunked. After saying as much, i realized I don't actually know that much about what skunked is. Time to do some research, both for myself and to educate my friends who argued that the beer wasn't.

What  I knew about skunked beer before:
Light affects flavor molecules
Beer has a shelf life that is frequently exceeded by smarter-than-smart college students


What I know now (and i wasn't even totally wrong!):
Light does affect beer! Ultraviolet light can over time degrade the flavor molecules derived from hops. These broken down molecules can bind with sulfur compounds to form that wonderful skunky aroma. While i did not think there were any hops in Newcastle (that's a joke because its so mild) this may have been the problem. Especially since Newcastle comes in its striking looking while useless clear bottle. Also, my friend was storing the beers on top of her fridge. Boo.
Good news however, it was only slightly skunked. We drank it anyways.

Now for the shelf life of beer. I was under the impression that beer lasts about 6 weeks. WRONG. Beer according to various sources on the ever accurate Internets beer can last 8-12 months if properly stored (away from heat and light) in cold environments (the fridge). Beer that has a higher APV can last even longer. Oh, alcohol, you are a wonderful preservative. Beer companies also take care to protect their product by employing filtration which can remove most of the microbes that help make the wondrous result, and by pasteurizing the beer.

Well now I know a little bit more. There is no way, however, that beer will last 8-12 months in my fridge.