Beer Facts
According to the Brewers Association, the overall U.S. beer market was worth $101 billion in 2009. Over 205 million barrels of beer were sold (1 barrel equals 31 gallons of beer). In the same year, there were 1,595 breweries in the U.S. fermenting everything from light lagers to chocolaty stouts.
Though many people blame age or prolonged refrigeration for a bad beer's "skunked" taste, it's actually light that spoils the brew. A 2001 study published in Chemistry – A European Journal traced the breakdown of beer to light-sensitive hop compounds called isohumulones. Prolonged exposure to light causes a reaction in which isohumulones become "skunky thiol," so dubbed because it resembles a compound found in skunk glands. Not so refreshing -- which is why beer is normally stored in protective brown or green bottles.