The Ball Inside the Guinness Can

Posted by Alex in Food & Drinks on March 20, 2008 at 5:55 am


What’s that ball doing in your can of Guinness? Well, Tory of Hobson’s Choice blog found out the answer:

Basically, the small plastic ball is called a widget. The purpose of the widget is to release CO2 from some of the beer in the can to create the head. It is meant to mimic the texture and head of Guinness on tap.

Mystery solved! Link | Longer explanation at How Stuff Works – Thanks Tory!


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COMMENT

10 comments to "The Ball Inside the Guinness Can"

  1. Dubh
    March 20th, 2008 at 7:11 am

    Not to pick nits but it's nitrogen not CO2. Nitrogen has smaller bubbles and which makes it smoother to drink.

  2. bob
    March 20th, 2008 at 8:02 am

    i never considered it much of a mystery - it actually notes the role of the widget on the side of the can / bottle.

  3. Sid Morrison
    March 20th, 2008 at 9:36 am

    It's only a mystery if you are illiterate...

    For the more curious, it'sexplained pretty well at
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Widget_%28beer%29

    And, yes, it is nitrogen, not carbon dioxide which is added.

  4. Tory
    March 20th, 2008 at 9:44 am

    Not only am I illiterate, but I also suck at chemistry. Sweet! Thanks.

  5. Dave
    March 20th, 2008 at 9:54 am

    The one in the Guinness bottles is more interesting; it's called the Rocket Widget, because it looks like a little rocket. The first time I bought a six-pack of bottles I thought something had come loose in the dispensing line at the factory; sad to say, my first thought was "product liability lawsuit". Instead I wrote a post about it on my buddy Deane's site, Gadgetopia. (wow! that was 3 years ago!)

  6. Manticore
    March 20th, 2008 at 11:16 am

    I want some of those! anywhere I can buy them? lmfao. I can't buy Guinness straight up for another year. but these are the sort of random ass things I like to keep laying around

  7. Scotchdrnkr
    March 20th, 2008 at 11:18 am

    According to the link. Its the CO2 dissolved in the ale that makes the head. Not Nitrogen. The Nitrogen dissipates as the can is pressurized during the filling process. The ale rushing thru the tiny hole in the sphere when the can is opened release the dissolved CO2.
    The cans and bottles still don't compare to the draft form.

    "When you open the can, the pressure inside immediately drops, the compressed gas inside the sphere quickly forces the beer out through the tiny hole into the can. As the beer rushes through the tiny hole, this agitation causes the CO2 that is dissolved in the beer to form tiny bubbles that rise to the surface of the beer. These bubbles help form the head."

  8. Ash
    March 20th, 2008 at 2:33 pm

    Ah, just like Ramune.

    Ingenious, really. Though I prefer Ramune's visuals and neato bottle design.

  9. ted
    March 20th, 2008 at 3:38 pm

    These are in every can?
    How do they recycle them?

  10. License Farm
    March 21st, 2008 at 2:42 pm

    I was under the impression that the ball was made of cedar, in order to mimic the taste from large wooden casks.


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