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First, let me explain that I am not a regular beer drinker, nor am I any beer authority. Anything I imbibed in college was simply based on cost and availability.
But I recently decided to try Ireland’s favorite beer, Guinness. It’s a bit bitter and bold, an acquired taste. But everytime I turned the bottle up I heard a rattling sound. I would assume that the more I drank the less the rattling would bother me, but I was under a two-beer rule that night. I put it out of my mind for a few days, but curiosity got the best of me. I smashed the bottle open with a hammer and, to my utter amazement, I find the strange object pictured on the right (to starboard for you sailor types). I guessed that this is some type of foam maker for when you pour the beer into a glass. But since I simply drank the beer straight from the bottle it did nothing for me other than give me the belches. So, all you beer pros out there, what is this silly white plastic thingie for? It’s 2 7/8 inches long probably nylon-based. Old English 800 doesn’t have anything like this in it. |
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2 responses so far ↓
1 Bruce // Feb 21, 2006 at 10:45 am
That would be the “Rocket Widget”. It is similar to the floating widgets found in the Guinness Draught cans.
The widget contains a pressurized mixture of nitrogen and CO2 that is released when the can is opened, giving the Guinness its characteristic “small bubble” carbonation and creamy goodness when you pour it into a glass.
With the bottled version, the idea behind the widget is that it re-invigorates the foam every time you tip the bottle to take a sip - no glass required.
My only gripe is that they don’t put a full 12 oz. in the bottle, nor do they put 16 oz. in the can.
2 Grandinite » Trackback Tuesdays // Feb 21, 2006 at 3:16 pm
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