I bought some bottles of Guinness today, in honour of St Patrick's day of course. After I poured my first bottle into a glass, I noticed that there's a plastic thing in the bottle, apparently to help create those amazing downward-moving bubbles. Now, I have two questions:
1. How does it work?
2. How did they get it into the bottle? It's bigger than the neck of the bottle.
2007-03-17 09:46:19 · 3 answers · asked by Rando 4 in Food & Drink ➔ Beer, Wine & Spirits
I could talk about this stuff all day, let me try to give a "short" answer.
Not sure how they get it in the bottle but think that one is differently shaped than the ones Guiness puts in the cans. Don't the bottle widgets have wings to prevent them from coming out of the bottle neck?
Anyways, the widget (just shaped like a ball for the nitro cans) hold a small amount of nitrogen and have a pin hole in them. When you open the can or bottle, the change in air pressure rapidly forces the nitrogen out of the widget. You can hear it if not in a loud bar. The nitrogen creates the signature Guinness head. Most beers are carbonated (and forced through the beer lines at your local bar) using carbon dioxide (CO2). Guinness beer gas is a mixture, mostly nitrogen with a part CO2. I think it's 70/30. Nitrogen creates smaller bubbles and dissolves into air less readily than CO2. This is why the head on a pint of properly poured Guinness lasts for so long.
As far as getting the widget into the can, they put in the beer first, then before putting and sealing on the can top, they put the widget in and quickly pressurize the whole deal with Nitrogen. This forces nitrogen into the widget where it waits for you to open the container and allow it to release into the beer.
Wow, I need to get a beer myself and stop obsessing about these things!
2007-03-17 11:23:24 · answer #1 · answered by Rookie Researcher 2 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Every St Paddy's day, magic leprechauns go into the guiness factory, and drop the plastic gass providing bubbles into the can.
Alternatively.... the gas providing bubble is pressurised by the liquid, and when opened, it releases the pressure, and allows the gas to escape.
The truth of the matter is however, if you are thinking about this, you either need to drink more, or less of it.
Happy St Paddys!
Lee
2007-03-17 16:56:07 · answer #2 · answered by lprees 1 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I believe that the cartridge is a gas filled pill that releases when you relieve the pressure in the bottle or can.
2007-03-17 17:59:43 · answer #3 · answered by Duncan w ™ ® 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋