Guest blogger Adam Shugan is an associate in one of our Gainesville stores. Good beer is his passion.

Ever picked up a 16oz can of Guinness Draught or Boddington’s Pub Ale and heard a rattling sound?  That is known as a “widget," and is a device invented by Guinness in the 80’s. It came out on the market in the early 90’s.  A widget, in this case, is a nitrogen filled ball placed into the can before packaging.  Just after the beer is added, a drop of liquid nitrogen is added to the can.  The low boiling point of liquid nitrogen allows the beer to expand and pressurize the sealed can. The pressure allows beer to seep into minute holes in the widget.  Once the can is opened and equal atmospheric pressure is achieved, the ball releases the beer mixed with nitrogen to make millions of tiny bubbles.  This process keeps the beer fresh, and carbon dioxide out, so the beer does not have a flat taste.  The effect is a creamy soft taste on the tongue and it looks really cool when you immediately pour the beer into a glass.  Most widgets today float freely in the can as opposed to the first prototypes by Guinness, which were jammed into the bottom of the can.  There are also nitrogen-filled bottles with extra thick glass similar to a Champagne bottle to withstand the immense pressure.  Some other examples of nitrogen filled cans found at ABC are Greene King/Morland Brewery’s “Wexford Irish Cream Ale”, Young’s Double Chocolate Stout, and Murphy’s Irish Dry Stout. 

A word of warning is the smooth drinkability of these beers can lead to quick inebriation ;), so drink with care!