microrobert
12-19-2014, 01:15 PM
The Magic of Beer and Magnets
Food scientists have discovered how to counteract the explosive, frothy nature of bottled booze.
Beer foam is a noted fun-killer. Few things ruin the enjoyment of a cold one more than having your hands and clothes drenched in your drink. But now, Belgian food scientists have found a way to prevent this party-foul: with magnets!
So what causes a freshly opened, unshaken beer bottle to overflow? The main culprit is a protein called hydrophobin which dwells within the drink. Hydrophobins are created by a fungus that infects malt grains during the brewing process, attracting carbon-dioxide molecules within the beverage to the surface. Too many carbon-dioxide molecules at the beer's neck can cause the bottle to bubble over when it's opened, much to breweries' chagrin. This spontaneous foam overflow, called gushing, is a different process than what produces a frothy foam head in a freshly poured glass.
http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/12/how-to-keep-beer-from-foaming/383775/
Food scientists have discovered how to counteract the explosive, frothy nature of bottled booze.
Beer foam is a noted fun-killer. Few things ruin the enjoyment of a cold one more than having your hands and clothes drenched in your drink. But now, Belgian food scientists have found a way to prevent this party-foul: with magnets!
So what causes a freshly opened, unshaken beer bottle to overflow? The main culprit is a protein called hydrophobin which dwells within the drink. Hydrophobins are created by a fungus that infects malt grains during the brewing process, attracting carbon-dioxide molecules within the beverage to the surface. Too many carbon-dioxide molecules at the beer's neck can cause the bottle to bubble over when it's opened, much to breweries' chagrin. This spontaneous foam overflow, called gushing, is a different process than what produces a frothy foam head in a freshly poured glass.
http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/12/how-to-keep-beer-from-foaming/383775/