Useless fact
What is the plastic ball inside a Guinness can called?
The small, hollow plastic ball found inside cans of Guinness and some other beers is called a widget.
The plastic device known as a widget was invented to solve a major packaging challenge for brewers of stout. When Guinness is served on tap, a mixture of nitrogen and carbon dioxide creates its signature thick, creamy head. However, reproducing this effect in a standard can was historically impossible because carbon dioxide alone produces larger, less stable bubbles. In the late 1960s, Guinness researchers began developing a solution, leading to the patenting of the widget. The modern version is a hollow plastic sphere with a tiny aperture. During the canning process, nitrogen is added to the beer, pressurizing the can. When the tab is opened, the pressure drop forces the beer inside the widget out through the tiny hole, initiating a rapid release of gas that creates the perfect creamy head. In 1991, this invention was so celebrated that it won the Queen's Award for Technological Achievement, famously beating out the Internet in a UK consumer poll of the greatest inventions of the preceding thirty years.
Why this is true — The term 'widget' is the industry-standard and patented name for the nitrogen-release device used in Guinness cans.
Sources
- Guinness Official Website Diageo
- Science Museum Group Collection Science Museum Group