Girlie Plastic Beer Bottles Not Hanging at the Bar

(Part 3 in a series - The Value of Glass)

Beer, wine and whiskey in plastic bottles? Not so much. Alcohol trumps plastic in the glass-plastic-alcohol game. Oxygen and chemicals tend to leach into alcoholic liquid when it’s in plastic resulting in shorter shelf life and ruined products, a factor that is not an issue with glass containers.

“Glass is inert,” reminds Joe Cattaneo, President of the Glass Packaging Institute. “Glass doesn’t react to chemicals. Glass presents the true flavor of the product, preserves its purity and quality, and increases shelf life.”

Not that PET beer bottles are non-existent. MillerCoors started bottling in PET in 1998 for use in stadiums and other outdoor sport events. In October they reported use of plastic bottles is now at 10 percent. On the issue of health and PET alcohol containers, the New York Times reported on November 28 that PET bottles were safe as containers for alcohol according to conclusions by Food and Drug Administration.

Let’s try it again

Between 1969 and 1973, some alcoholic beverages were packaged in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) bottles, but that gig came to an end as PVC was strongly suspected as a carcinogen while in the company of alcohol. PET, on the other hand, although it has also been charged as a possible health threat, has recently been acquitted and given the green light as alcohol containers.

Nevertheless, PET alone is not sufficient to protect the product from oxygen ruin, altering the taste and quality. An additional barrier must be added to the container by lining the inside to prevent deterioration of the contents. The consequence is that the multi-layer design interferes with normal PET recycling process.

Glass still looks best as an entirely recyclable commodity with no health issues. Now when I asked Hazel Mobley the glass specialist in Atlanta about the manufacturers that buy cullet, she mentioned several large well know glass companies then she skipped to another thought.

“Didn’t you say you’re headed north through Tennessee?” Indeed, yes. “You know, you ought to take the tour of Jack Daniel’s distillery in Lynchburg. Now that’s one retailer I know that’s really particular.”

Well, aw-raaat! I don’t drink whiskey, but I’m up for checking on Jack Daniel, where apparently everything matters, including glass. I’ll tell you about it tomorrow.

Link: Australian bars use bottle crusher machine

Factoid: North Carolina law requires bars to recycle.