Styrofoam Cups

Let me preface this by saying that I have a whole range of "proper" glassware and I would not normally drink out of a styrofoam cup. However, necessity requires that I drink covertly (my son is in the hospital, and I'd rather not advertise that I'm enjoying a homebrew in his room after a long day talking to doctors).

What is happening when I pour an otherwise well-carbonated homebrew into a styrofoam cup? It's near impossible for me to do without an enormous head, and the beer tastes flat in the cup. My theory is that the bumps create tons of nucleation points that make the beer foamy and flat. Admittedly, this is a half-baked theory, with nothing to back it up.

So what's going on here? Just curious, really.

You're drinking in the hospital?

And yes agree with your theory

It's being poisoned by your guilt about helping ruin the environment.

Just kidding!!

But seriously.

Why not try a fast-food drink cup with lid and straw? More covert and fewer nucleation points.

I know - I really need to bring my own plastic cup or something. I was just using what was available in the vending room. Plus, pondering my beer is a nice distraction.

If it is a dark beer then transparent Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts Iced Coffee Cups work quite nicely. Don't ask me how I know.

Good on you for making hospitals happier places! When my dad was dying of cancer I think we all could have used a few stiff ones, dad especially.

I'll leave this here:

MaxStout said:

Why not try a fast-food drink cup with lid and straw? More covert and fewer nucleation points.

Click to expand...

My wife & I lol'd on the way home from Moe's once (mexican food,HUGE burritos). We were having a margarita with one of those football size burritos. We took them with us,as they were in waxed paper fast food cups with lid & straw. Plain markings on the cups made it easy to sip 'rita's on the way home covertly. works quite well carbonation wise for beer too.