To Shake Or Not To Shake? Here Are 5 Things You Never Knew About Guinness Draught in a Can!

By JUICE Malaysia  •  23 Jun 2022 in Sponsored

Thirsty for JUICE content? Quench your cravings on our Instagram, TikTok and WhatsApp

The famous Guinness brand has been around since 1965, and has since become one of many Malaysians’ favourite stout of choice.

But before you take a sip of that beautiful creamy black stout, there are a few things you need to know about the famous Irish beer with the trademark harp.

1. Its actually ruby red

If your typical setting for drinking Guinness is a dimly lit Irish bar, you may not have noticed that Guinness is actually a dark ruby red. The rich colour comes from roasted malted barley (which is a similar way coffee beans are roasted).

2. It was the first beer to use nitrogen

According to Heineken Malaysia, Guinness Draught was first brewed in 1959 to celebrate the 200-year anniversary of Arthur Guinness signing his lease. It was the first beer to use nitrogen, which gives Guinness Draught its velvety-smooth texture and the iconic ‘surge’ as it settles after the unique Two Part Pour.

Today, people around the world drink 225 million gallons of Guinness each year, but most Guinness lovers don’t realise that the secret to the creamy, dark beer comes from nitrogen.

While many other beers are brewed using carbon dioxide, the brew masters at Guinness use nitrogen. The smaller bubbles create a smoother, subtler fizz, making it taste thick and creamy. The nitrogen also gives Guinness its signature velvet head.

3. It comes with a free gift in every can

If you’re an astute drinker, you may have wondered why the new GDIC (Guinness Draught In A Can) has a small, ping pong-like ball in the bottom of it. It’s actually a new Guinness widget that’s working hard to replicate the draught experience in a can!

The purpose of the widget is to release the Nitrogen from the beer in the can to create the creamy head. The widget is a plastic, nitrogen-filled sphere with a tiny hole in it.

The sphere is added to the can before the can is sealed. It floats in the beer, with the hole just slightly below the surface of the beer.

Just before the can is sealed, a small shot of liquid nitrogen is added to the beer which evaporates during the rest of the canning process and pressurises the can. As the pressure increases in the can, beer slowly flows into the sphere through the hole, compressing the nitrogen inside.

When you open the can, the pressure inside immediately drops, and the compressed gas inside the sphere quickly forces the beer out through the tiny hole into the can.

And this is what causes the bubbles.

The more you know…

4. You don’t have to shake the can every time you crack a cold one with your mates

Because of all the yummy nitrogen bubbles, there’s a very important fact that goes into drinking canned beer: You are not supposed to shake the can.

Guinness Draught in a Can can be chilled the day before, but no shaking is required. Just open, pour your drink into a glass, allow the Guinness to surge and settle, and enjoy!

5. You can now have a Guinness Draught In Can from the comfort of your home

The world famous Guinness Draught in a Can is now available at selected 7-Eleven stores and premium grocers across Peninsular Malaysia. It is also available online via Drinkies.

Wanna stay updated with the latest news from Guinness? Follow them on Facebook and Instagram for more info!

As a reminder, you need to be 21 and non-Muslim in order to buy and consume alcohol. Remember to always drink responsibly and in moderation.