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Pulling the perfect pint can take some practice, with beer drinkers often turning up their noses at foam caps.
But this may soon be a thing of the past, as scientists have unveiled a new can design that could solve the froth problem once and for all.
Japanese company Nendo claims that the so-called ‘golden ratio’ of beer to foam can be achieved with its newly designed product.
At a glance it might look like an ordinary can, but the product’s two pull tabs would make a huge difference.
Nendo claims that this innovative design results in a pint with the perfect head.
Nendo has designed a can that can help drinkers achieve the ‘golden ratio’ of beer to foam
Guidelines state that the first tab should be opened before pouring beer into the glass until it is half full. After waiting for any air bubbles to settle, drinkers should pull the second tab. This allows the can to open to the maximum and allow the remaining beer to be poured into the glass
Nendo stated: ‘There are two main principles of bubbles forming from canned beer, in addition to the factor derived from the raw materials: the sudden pressure drop in the can when it is opened and the friction that occurs between the can and the liquid when to pour.
“Our research has shown that if the pull tab does not fully open the can, the pressure will concentrate in the narrow opening. At the same time, during pouring, the area of the beer in contact with the lid increases, facilitating the formation of bubbles.’
In its research, the company found that the properties of the lid and the distances between the tabs affect how much a can opens.
For the optimal pint, experts recommend opening the tab labeled “1” first and pouring into a glass until half full.
At this point, beer guzzlers should wait a few seconds for any bubbles to settle.
Then the second tab must be pulled so that the can can be opened completely.
The remaining liquid can then be poured from the can into the glass.
“Beer cups are considered essential to making beer taste better, at least in Japan,” Nendo said.
‘It’s because a layer of foam of sufficient thickness acts as a lid to prevent beer from coming into contact with the air and prevents the release of aroma, flavor and carbonation.
‘In the domestic beer market, beer for commercial use is usually transported in bottles or tanks, while most beer for home use is canned.
‘In the latter case, however, it is difficult to create an ideal foam when pouring a can into a glass.’
Pictured: Nendo’s step-by-step guide to achieving the perfect ‘golden ratio’ of beer to foam
“Beer cups are considered essential to making beer taste better, at least in Japan,” Nendo said
The can has two tabs so that the can can be opened completely, reducing air bubbles
Referring to the can with two tablets, Nendo added: ‘In this way, a glass with a liquid-to-foam ratio of 7:3, the so-called golden ratio, can now easily be achieved with canned beer.’
The new can follows numerous other technologies and constructions developed to achieve the perfect pint.
This year, Guinness launched a ‘groundbreaking’ £25 Nitrosurge device that attaches to the top of a can and pours a perfectly straight jet of liquid – as if coming from the draught.
At the heart of the electronic device is an ‘ultrasonic transducer’ – a sensor that can generate or detect ultrasonic energy.
The transducer has a “specifically tuned wavelength and frequency to create the iconic Guinness peak,” says Guinness — though it has yet to say how it actually does this.
Six years earlier, students at the University of Leeds created a pint-serving robot that mimics the movement of bartenders to fill glasses.
With a simple push of a button, the robot can do its job, so that a beer tap is mechanically pulled down while filling the glass.