what device is put into a can to give beer a head of foam?

Question

what is the device called that is put into a can to give beer a head of foam?

Answer 1

a widget

Answer 2

A good Head of foam can be had on most full bodied beers. The Head is created by starches & proteins in the beer that act like dishsoap in your sink.
Certain grains yield more of these proteins, and as a general rule the darker a grain is roasted the more it contributes to head.
Most light beers (esp. commercial) are brewed or filtered to contain few of these, and hence give little head.

Guinness, widely known for having the best head on a beer, is traditionally served from Kegs with a special Nitrogen pressure system instead of the CO2 used for most beer and soda. This nitrogen results in smaller bubbles and a thicker denser foam.
Attempting to create the same Guinness experience right from the fridge they struck upon the widget. A plastic device that holds a small amount of pressurized nitrogen, released when the can is opened.
The Nitrogen rushes through the beer creating a suspended foam that rises in the glass to form the signature Head.

To get a good head with your less advanced beer bottles/cans.
Pour the beer directly in the middle of a large cold glass.
Use a 16oz for a 12oz bottle to leave room for the head
With a smooth pour (don't let it glug-glug or splash) empty the entire bottle in one motion, with practice it can be done quite quickly.
The swirling created will generate a nice thick belly-up-to-the-bar Head.
It takes a few tries so practice over a sink (or a bowl you can drink from).

It's not as fun/fast/effective as the Widget but it'll get you by until they put them in all the beer.

Cheers!

Answer 3

The "widget" in the Guiness bottle is like a little nitrogen rocket! It operates thusly:

"The "floating widget" found in cans of beer is a hollow sphere, 3 cm in diameter. The can is pressurised by adding liquid nitrogen, which vaporises and expands in volume after the can is sealed, forcing gas and beer into the widget's hollow interior through a tiny hole. When the can is opened, the pressure in the can drops, causing the pressurised gas and beer inside the widget to jet out from the hole. This agitation on the surrounding beer releases carbon dioxide that is dissolved in the beer, creating a creamy head inside the can. This imitates the foamy head created when pouring draught beer. The original widget was patented in the UK by Guinness."

Answer 4

The Widget
The initial inventors of generating draught Guinness from cans or bottles by means of a sudden gas discharge from an internal compartment when the can or bottle is opened were Tony Carey and Sammy Hildebrand, brewers with Guinness in Dublin, in 1968. This invention was patented by them in British Patent No 1266351, filed 27th January 1969, complete specification published 8th March 1972. Development work on a can system under Project ACORN focused on an arrangement whereby a false lid underneath the main lid formed the gas chamber. Technical difficulties led to a decision to put the can route on hold and concentrate on bottles using external initiators. Subsequently, Guinness allowed this patent to lapse and it was not until Ernest Saunders centralised R & D in 1984 that work re-started on this invention under the direction of Alan Forage.

Answer 5

In a can of John Smiths 'Original' bitter which does come out with foam on top I was curious at the object in the can and so split the can open and 'heh presto' out came a white transparent ball about 1" in diameter and with a small hole in it. Thinking that this shouldn't have been there and I could have claimed my money back I opened another, again which rattled, and yet another ball. I take it that it was the ball that made it foamy.

Answer 6

I ripped open my can of Guinness and I can tell you that the device is circular in shape. It looks like a ball with a few holes which allow some of the Guinness inside it.
I would like to know myself how this does anything...

Answer 7

There is no device-it's caused by the fermenting process-you can pour beer from a glass bottle and still achieve a nice head of foam-also from a tap.

Answer 8

Plastic beer foamer ball

Answer 9

A widget.

Answer 10

a things like a small plastic ball.