{"id":47087,"date":"2022-08-19T19:27:57","date_gmt":"2022-08-19T23:27:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thebeertimes.com\/?p=47087"},"modified":"2026-06-26T18:36:00","modified_gmt":"2026-06-26T22:36:00","slug":"why-does-nitrogenated-guinness-contain-a-plastic-ball-inside","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thebeertimes.com\/en\/why-does-nitrogenated-guinness-contain-a-plastic-ball-inside\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Does Nitrogenated Guinness Contain a Plastic Ball Inside?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"thebe-468719281\" class=\"thebe-fuente-preferida-2 thebe-entity-placement\" style=\"margin-bottom: 30px;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;text-align: center;\" role=\"region\" aria-label=\"Advertisements\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=thebeertimes.com\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"A\u00f1adir como fuente preferida en google\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thebeertimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Anadir-como-fuente-preferida-en-google-1.jpg\" alt=\"\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thebeertimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Anadir-como-fuente-preferida-en-google-1.jpg 638w, https:\/\/www.thebeertimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Anadir-como-fuente-preferida-en-google-1-300x60.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 638px) 100vw, 638px\" width=\"175\" height=\"127\"  style=\"display: inline-block;\" \/><\/a><\/div><p>Famous for its spirits and in particular for its whiskey, Ireland is also a country renowned for its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thebeertimes.com\/como-hacer-cerveza-artesanal-paso-a-paso\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">beer production<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_20162\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-20162\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-20162\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thebeertimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Guinness-Nitro-Stout.jpg\" alt=\"Guinness Nitro Stout\" width=\"600\" height=\"315\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thebeertimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Guinness-Nitro-Stout.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.thebeertimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Guinness-Nitro-Stout-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.thebeertimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Guinness-Nitro-Stout-114x60.jpg 114w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-20162\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Guinness Nitro Stout<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>If you have ever visited Ireland, you have surely <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thebeertimes.com\/en\/how-to-taste-beer-learn-to-appreciate-beer-like-a-true-expert\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">tasted a beer<\/a> \u2014 Kilkenny, Murphy&#8217;s or Guinness \u2014 in one of its many pubs with a spirit that exudes authenticity from every corner.<\/p><div id=\"thebe-1709617500\" class=\"thebe-maridaje-sin-rodes thebe-entity-placement\" style=\"margin-bottom: 40px;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;text-align: center;\" role=\"region\" aria-label=\"Advertisements\"><div style=\"background-color: #ffffff; border: 1px solid #ccc; border-radius: 12px; padding: 16px; max-width: 320px; margin: 20px auto; text-align: center; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\">\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-45353\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thebeertimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/71vKJFxJDRL._SL1500_-187x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"125\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thebeertimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/71vKJFxJDRL._SL1500_-187x300.jpg 187w, https:\/\/www.thebeertimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/71vKJFxJDRL._SL1500_.jpg 312w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 125px) 100vw, 125px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #0000ff; font-weight: bold; margin: 8px 0; line-height: 1.2;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B0GF4CFJBL\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\">Maridaje de cerveza y marihuana. La ciencia sensorial para el sommelier moderno<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a class=\"fasc-button fasc-size-medium fasc-type-flat fasc-rounded-medium fasc-ico-before dashicons-cart\" style=\"background-color: #ffd100; color: #000000;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B0GF4CFJBL\">Comprar en Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The Emerald Isle is home to numerous distilleries and microbreweries, waiting to be visited by anyone passionate about the world of beer or whiskey.<\/p>\n<p>The most impressive is the Guinness factory. We recommend you go \u2014 it will be a unique opportunity to finally discover why they put that small white plastic ball inside their cans: the &#8220;floating widget.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div id=\"thebe-3687886343\" style=\"margin-bottom: 30px;\" role=\"region\" aria-label=\"Advertisements\"><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-9395258998211551\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><insclass=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-9395258998211551\" data-ad-slot=\"8775458773\" data-ad-format=\"auto\"><\/ins>\n<script> \n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); \n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n\n<h2>The History of the Guinness Brewery<\/h2>\n<p>Founded in 1759 by Irish brewer Arthur Guinness, the eponymous brewery is world-famous for its iconic Stout.<\/p>\n<p>Brewed with roasted barley grains, it has a black color and a thick, creamy beige head.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_9083\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-9083\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-9083\" title=\"Guinness Museum\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thebeertimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Museo_Guinness-1.jpg\" alt=\"Guinness Museum\" width=\"500\" height=\"263\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thebeertimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Museo_Guinness-1.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.thebeertimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Museo_Guinness-1-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.thebeertimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Museo_Guinness-1-114x60.jpg 114w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-9083\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Guinness Museum<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>More so than in other types of beer, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thebeertimes.com\/aprendiendo-a-comprender-las-maltas-base\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">malts<\/a> are extremely important in brewing a Stout, as they give it its impenetrable black color.<\/p>\n<p>If you are used to lagers, you should know that a Pale Ale owes its color to its pale malts and not to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thebeertimes.com\/10-cosas-que-deberias-saber-acerca-del-lupulo\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">hops<\/a> or yeast.<\/p>\n<p>A red, amber or black pint typically has a fuller mouthfeel and is less refreshing than a pale beer.<\/p>\n<p>Guinness is a black <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thebeertimes.com\/en\/what-is-the-real-difference-between-ale-and-lager-beer\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">top-fermented<\/a> beer, relatively light, with notes of caramel, chocolate and coffee.<\/p>\n<p>There is no pub in Ireland where you will not find it, always served strictly in its own <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thebeertimes.com\/la-cerveza-vaso-a-vaso-pinta-imperial-nonick\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">pint glass<\/a>. Its tradition is so ancient that it forms part of the history of Ireland.<\/p>\n<p>There are many curiosities about Guinness, such as the fact that the brewery, based in Dublin, holds a 9,000-year lease, that an average of 13 million pints are drunk around the world every day.<\/p><div id=\"thebe-3130941438\" class=\"thebe-libros-amazon thebe-entity-placement\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;text-align: center;\" role=\"region\" aria-label=\"Advertisements\"><div style=\"background-color: #ffffff; border: 1px solid #ccc; border-radius: 12px; padding: 16px; max-width: 320px; margin: 20px auto; text-align: center; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\">\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-43340 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thebeertimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Catar-cerveza-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"Gu\u00eda Pr\u00e1ctica Catar Cerveza Amazon\" width=\"200\" height=\"199\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thebeertimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Catar-cerveza-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.thebeertimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Catar-cerveza-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.thebeertimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Catar-cerveza-370x370.jpg 370w, https:\/\/www.thebeertimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Catar-cerveza.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #0000ff; font-weight: bold; margin: 8px 0; line-height: 1.2;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3LddZmQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\">Gu\u00eda pr\u00e1ctica para catar cerveza: C\u00f3mo apreciar correctamente todas las cervezas del mundo<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a class=\"fasc-button fasc-size-medium fasc-type-flat fasc-rounded-medium fasc-ico-before dashicons-cart\" style=\"background-color: #ffd100; color: #000000;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3LddZmQ\">Comprar en Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>It is estimated that 10% of all annual consumption takes place on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thebeertimes.com\/en\/why-do-we-celebrate-saint-patricks-day\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">St. Patrick&#8217;s Day<\/a>, and that it was even the origin of the Guinness Book of Records, following a debate over whether the golden plover was or was not the fastest bird in Europe.<\/p>\n<h2>The Famous Guinness &#8220;Ball&#8221;<\/h2>\n<p>Now that you know a little more about Guinness beer and its history: do you know the reason for the famous ball inside the can?<\/p>\n<p>The &#8220;floating widget&#8221; is a hollow plastic ball about 3 cm in diameter, slightly smaller than a ping pong ball, which is placed inside the can so that the serving experience is as close as possible to what you get in a bar.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_23459\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-23459\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-23459 size-full\" title=\"Floating Widget\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thebeertimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Floating-Widget.jpg\" alt=\"Floating Widget\" width=\"500\" height=\"330\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thebeertimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Floating-Widget.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.thebeertimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Floating-Widget-300x198.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.thebeertimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Floating-Widget-370x245.jpg 370w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-23459\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Floating Widget<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>This makes Guinness Stout very different from other Irish beers and from other beers in general.<\/p>\n<p>We often hear about brewing, fermentation, flavors, hops and yeast, but very rarely do brewers talk about the small details that make beers even better.<\/p>\n<p>It is a process patented by Guinness that consists of pressurizing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thebeertimes.com\/en\/history-of-nitro-beer-science-and-future\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a ball filled with nitrogen<\/a> which, upon opening, causes the beer to generate an effect similar to the draft beer served in bars.<\/p>\n<p>Naturally, it has low carbonation, so the pleasant head is generous and creamy.<\/p>\n<p>If the floating widget were in a highly carbonated beer, the result would be excessively foamy.<\/p>\n<div id=\"thebe-3744640388\" style=\"margin-bottom: 20px;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;text-align: center;\" role=\"region\" aria-label=\"Advertisements\"><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-9395258998211551\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><insclass=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block; text-align:center;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-9395258998211551\" data-ad-slot=\"1179889612\" data-ad-layout=\"in-article\" data-ad-format=\"fluid\"><\/ins>\n<script> \n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); \n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"thebe-3456429069\" class=\"thebe-maridaje-cerveza-marihuana thebe-entity-placement\" role=\"region\" aria-label=\"Advertisements\"><div style=\"background-color: #ffffff; border: 1px solid #ccc; border-radius: 12px; padding: 16px; max-width: 320px; margin: 20px auto; text-align: center; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\">\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-49643\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thebeertimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Maridaje-de-Cerveza-y-queso-profesional-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thebeertimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Maridaje-de-Cerveza-y-queso-profesional-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.thebeertimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Maridaje-de-Cerveza-y-queso-profesional-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.thebeertimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Maridaje-de-Cerveza-y-queso-profesional-370x370.jpg 370w, https:\/\/www.thebeertimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Maridaje-de-Cerveza-y-queso-profesional.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #0000ff; font-weight: bold; margin: 8px 0; line-height: 1.2;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/4qHemVH\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\">Maridaje de cerveza y queso profesional. Ciencia, t\u00e9cnica y sinergia sensorial<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a class=\"fasc-button fasc-size-medium fasc-type-flat fasc-rounded-medium fasc-ico-before dashicons-cart\" style=\"background-color: #ffd100; color: #000000;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"\">Comprar en Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><h2>The Guinness Cascade<\/h2>\n<p>Guinness is also the source of lively conversations about the mystery of the &#8220;Guinness Cascade.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>In the pint, the gas bubbles descend and do not appear to rise as in all other beers.<\/p>\n<p>If you think it is an optical illusion \u2014 you are wrong! When the beer is poured, the temperature difference creates a convection current that allows bubbles to rise through a central stream until they stall at the surface, before descending along the walls of the glass.<\/p>\n<p>The fact that the beer is black with fine transparent bubbles makes the phenomenon far more visible than in other beers.<\/p>\n<div id=\"thebe-3413826318\" class=\"thebe-multiplex-final thebe-entity-placement\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;text-align: center;\" role=\"region\" aria-label=\"Advertisements\"><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-9395258998211551\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><insclass=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-9395258998211551\" data-ad-slot=\"2413980541\" data-ad-format=\"autorelaxed\"><\/ins>\n<script> \n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); \n<\/script>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you have ever visited Ireland, you have surely tasted a Kilkenny, Murphy&#8217;s or Guinness beer in one of its many pubs with a spirit that exudes authenticity from every corner.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":40395,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wpai_generated_summary":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[21119,21157],"tags":[21122,21375,21388,21754,21172],"class_list":["post-47087","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-culture","category-technology","tag-culture","tag-guinness-en","tag-ireland","tag-nitro-en","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thebeertimes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47087","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thebeertimes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thebeertimes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebeertimes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebeertimes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47087"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebeertimes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47087\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebeertimes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40395"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thebeertimes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47087"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebeertimes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47087"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebeertimes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47087"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}