What Is the Guinness Widget and How Does It Work?

You’re drinking a can of Guinness. As you near the bottom, something rattles around inside the can. You look inside and see, to your surprise, what looks like a ping pong ball. Was it a factory error? A beer pong game gone wrong? Nope — it’s just the “widget,” a device invented by Guinness to mimic the consistency of a nitro draught beer. 

Here’s everything you need to know about that small, white ball inside your Guinness can.

The history of the Guinness widget

Guinness Draught, invented by mathematician-turned-brewer Michael Ash, debuted in 1959 on the 200th anniversary of the original Guinness brewery. Guinness, which was previously served via two casks that had to be manually blended in the glass by bartenders, could now be dispensed automatically on draft through a gas-powered system. Nitrogen and carbon dioxide are forced through a beer line to a specialized tap, giving the stout a smooth mouthfeel, creamy head, and finer bubbles than a typical beer. The new technique has since become the standard way to enjoy a Guinness. 

Although there was now a system in place to incorporate and aerate nitrogen in draft beer, there was no way to replicate the same effect in a can. Meaning, for a long time, the only way to get a true Guinness Draught was at a bar. 

Starting in 1968, the Guinness team tried to find a solution, and experimented with introducing nitrogen to packaged beer through both internal and external compartments. They even released a bottled Guinness in 1978, which required the use of an “initiator” device to manually add the nitrogen gas. 

Guinness got closer in 1989 by affixing a nitrogen-filled plastic disk to the bottom of each can. But while this method was successful when the can was cold, warm beer tended to explode or overflow. But in 1997, master distiller John Lunn finally cracked the code by creating what was then called the “smoothifier,” or “floating widget.”

How does the Guinness widget work?

The current version of the widget is a small, plastic, ping-pong ball-sized sphere with two small pinholes. Every can of Guinness gets a widget before it’s filled with beer, then nitrogen is added and the contents sealed under pressure. 

“Once the can is opened, the magic of the widget takes over,” says Ryan Wagner, national ambassador and head of marketing for Guinness Open Gate Brewery. “It forces the beer back through that tiny pinhole and restricts the nitrogen bubbles just enough to produce that iconic surge and settle.” 

If Guinness were to gain its bubbles solely from carbon dioxide, as is the case for most beers, it’d be an entirely different product —more crisp, bitter, and bubbly. 

“Without the widget, it would be difficult to replicate the nitrogenated effect that happens from a Guinness spout behind the bar in your favorite pub,” says Wagner. A canned Guinness without a widget would pour as a relatively flat beer. Not only does the widget activate carbonation, but it also makes the beer taste creamy, smooth, and contributes that distinct layer of foam. 

With Guinness becoming more popular at bars and restaurants across the United States, you can thank the widget for giving us the ability to drink an authentic-tasting version at home. However, you may need to invest in a proper Guinness pint glass if you want to practice splitting the G.