The Beer Report

[LIPTONW@detroitedison.com]

In all of the debate on food irradiation, I have not seen anything about 
irradiating beer.  (My apologies if I missed this in anyone's message.)  My 
understanding is that bottled (or canned) beer has to be pasteurized, which 
compromises the taste, while draft beer has to be kept cold.  So called 
"draft" bottled beer (such as MGD) is, I believe, filtered with Nuclepore 
filters, which are membranes irradiated with fission fragments.  The 
irradiated membranes are then etched, which produces uniform size pores at
the 
sites of radiation damage.   
 
It seems that irradiating beer would allow draft beer to have an acceptable 
shelf life without pasteurization.   
 
This seems to be a way to gain acceptability for irradiated food, as well as 
to improve the quality of beer. 
 
I'd be interested in hearing from anyone who is knowledgable.  You could
call 
this "The Beer Report". 
 
Yes, I am fit for duty as I write this. 
 
The opinions expressed are strictly mine. 
It's not about dose, it's about trust. 
 
Bill Lipton 
liptonw@detroitedison.com