You don't need to be a beer aficionado to know when your beer has gone bad. But did you know that what is referred to as skunked beer is actually a breakdown of the hops' iso-alpha acids. The breakdown nearly mimics what is found in a skunk's behind.
This short Reactions video from the American Chemical Society explains why beer goes bad, how to prevent it and dispels the myth that heat is the culprit.
Traci Purdum, an award-winning business journalist with extensive experience covering manufacturing and management issues, is a graduate of the Kent State University School of Journalism and Mass Communication, Kent, Ohio, and an alumnus of the Wharton Seminar for Business Journalists, Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.
