use of guinness bottles??

Williams 728
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G

GINO

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for my first question I would like to ask you guys (&gals?!)if I can use the glass GUINNESS bottles w/the plastic plug inside to bottle my brew or if Ill have to take the plug out of the bottle & if so how to get it out of there----the main thing Im worried about is contamination should I?
 
There was a long thread on this a few months ago and the conclusion was the risk of contamination and/or the plug retaining sanitizer was too high. No one had any good ideas on how to get them out.
 
I've got around 100 guniess bottles. They are awsome, and getting the label off is a breeze.

As for the widget (for lack of a better term), just turn the bottle upside down give it a hard shake down and try to lock the widget into the neck of the bottle, then take some needle nose pliers.....Grab on and pull.......then wash teh bottle.......I've got about 100 bottles and it was easy.

Igor
 
thanks igor that sounds like a good idea-I've got about30 bottles waiting to be filled so getting the widget(plug) out will give me something to do this weekend while I drink more!!
 
I give the bottles a sharp flick to lodge the widget in the neck, then grab the bit sticking out with my teeth and pull. They come right out.
 
I use a bent wire with a loop for a handle. It works good on lime chunks too- lots of mexican beers served in So California that way....hmmm... maybe the think limes have nitrogen?
 
Pair of needle nose pliers makes quick work of the widgets, don't forget those bottles are 11.2oz's.
 
Two tricks to get a widget out:

1) string loop:
rinse and dry the bottle (doesn't work if it is wet)
make a long loop with a nilon string, 30# fishing line works great.
introducee loop and put the bottle upside down (the widget migrates to where the neck starts)
snag the widget with the nylon. Try to anchor between the body and one of the flaps
pull the string.
takes a little practice, but this is the way my granma used to get corks from inside a wine bottle (without a flap was even harder!). I leant that from her when I was just a lad and it was the first thing it came to my mind when I saw the wicked widget :^)


2) needle nose pliers, as said before. If you have good pliers you can try just puting the bottle upside down and reach one of the flaps, then just pull while you rotare and will come out.

I've used both. I always remove the plastic sleve-label so I can see what is going on inside the bottle, just use a light source on the other side.

hope this helps
 
thanks for the ideas guys I think the pliers will work out OK and yes brewbrorick it is a good idea (excuse)to pick up at least an 8 pack(as if we needed an excuse:cross:
 
WhatsOnTap said:
Now if you could only find a good use for those darn widgets, right? Any ideas?
Click to expand...

After reading the patent and description of how the widget works, I'm of the opinion that they can be cleaned and re-used. I've never tried it yet, but I will the next time I brew my stout.

-walker
 
Walker said:
After reading the patent and description of how the widget works, I'm of the opinion that they can be cleaned and re-used. I've never tried it yet, but I will the next time I brew my stout.

-walker
Click to expand...

Where did you find the patent info on it? I am curious and would like to read it.
 
I guess as long as they are sanatized well, in theory it may work....It will be interesting to hear your results.

I have a bucket of them sitting in my workshop and if I can use them...GREAT!!

When do you think you will be stouting again??
 
Igorstien said:
When do you think you will be stouting again??
Click to expand...

Probably next month. I'm just about out of stout right now (actually, I'm just about out of EVERYTHING right now except that terrible f*cking porter I bottled in early October.)

I'm going to do a single six pack with the widgets as a test-run.

-walker

mental note: buy a sixer of guiness with widgets at the store sometime soon
 
check this out:
http://home.howstuffworks.com/question446.htm

please, tell me I can't and should not try that!!!!

I was thinking of this:
1) sanitize a widget
2) take a bottle that is already carbonated, a sanitized cap and my double lever capper (and an opener)
3) bring the stuff concealed into a bag to the lab that is just below my office (they have embrios and liq N!!!)
4) convince my buddy to give me some liq N2
5) open the bottle (por some beer out) + insert the widget + pour some liq N2.
6) recap!

tell me I'm crazy, please.
 
m_f said:
check this out:
http://home.howstuffworks.com/question446.htm

please, tell me I can't and should not try that!!!!

I was thinking of this:
1) sanitize a widget
2) take a bottle that is already carbonated, a sanitized cap and my double lever capper (and an opener)
3) bring the stuff concealed into a bag to the lab that is just below my office (they have embrios and liq N!!!)
4) convince my buddy to give me some liq N2
5) open the bottle (por some beer out) + insert the widget + pour some liq N2.
6) recap!

tell me I'm crazy, please.
Click to expand...

You can try this, but I wouldn't.

I'm going to just let regular old bottle conditioning CO2 provide the pressure to force beer into the widget. I'm not going to mess with liquid notrogen.... I am rather fond of my fingers.

edit: by the way, the "how stuff works" description does not exactly match that patent description. How Stuff Works claims that the widget is pre-filled with nitrogen, but the actual patent filed by Guinness does not claim this at all.

-walker
 
That would be a good test of whether it will work or not...in fact you really wouldn't need to worry about sanitizing the widget for the test, because you're gonna just cap it, wait a couple of minutes for the nitro to evap, then uncap and see if it worked.

Walker said:
I'm not going to mess with liquid notrogen.... I am rather fond of my fingers.
Click to expand...

Edit: I'm a theorist, and theoretically this should work, but of course if you do freeze or blow any fingers off, the secretary will of course disavow any knowledge of your actions.
 
no way to put nitrogen in the widget, I guess (unless we can use a syringe, but no idea).
I was planning to add it to the beer... ????

never mind, my contact downstairs is on a research trip untill march...
he'll come back, just on time for st patty's ;^)
 
m_f said:
no way to put nitrogen in the widget, I guess (unless we can use a syringe, but no idea).
I was planning to add it to the beer... ????

never mind, my contact downstairs is on a research trip untill march...
he'll come back, just on time for st patty's ;^)
Click to expand...

You can add the nitrogen to the beer, no problem.

The whole point is to get increased pressure inside the bottle so that beer is forced into the widget. Guinness does this by putting a drop of liquid NO2 into the beer just before sealing the container, just like you are planning to do.

I'm going to just let carbon dioxide provide the pressure.

-walker
 
was thinking of this...
it'd be necesary to leave enough head space because the widget will expand and the liquid is not compresible...
maybe it's safer to experiment with natural carbonation first...
hehehehe

please, keep us posted!
 
m_f said:
was thinking of this...
it'd be necesary to leave enough head space because the widget will expand and the liquid is not compresible...
maybe it's safer to experiment with natural carbonation first...
hehehehe

please, keep us posted!
Click to expand...

the widget will expand? where do you get this info?

-walker
 
m_f said:
From the link, scroll down my link...
isn't that an expanded widget?

maybe not... I don;t know!
Click to expand...

nope. that's just the widget. it doesn't expand or contract or anything. The gas inside of it does, though.

At time ZERO, you have a widget filled with gas (air or nitrogen or whatever) in an empty bottle. The pressure inside and outside the widget is equal.

Then you put beer in the bottle and cap it.

As carbon dioxide pressure starts to build up, the system will maintain equlibrium w/ respects to pressure in the head-space and in the widget. Since the widget is submerged in the beer, the only way the pressure can be maintained is for beer to be forced into the widget through the tiny opening.

This compresses the gas in the widget so that it is the same pressure as the gas in the headspace.

When you pop it open, the pressure in the headspace suddenly drops back to 1 atmosphere, which is going to be lower than the pressure of the compressed gas in the widget. Again, the system will try to reach equilbrium, and the only way it can do this is by letting the gas in the widget expand back to the point where it it at 1 atmosphere of pressure.

The expansion of the gas forces the beer that was pushed into the widget to jet out through the opening, and this jetting action is what creates the creamy foam in the beer.

BRILLIANT!

-walker
 
oh! yeah! i got it! :drunk:
hey! we should patent this :mug: :D

Walker said:
nope. that's just the widget. it doesn't expand or contract or anything. The gas inside of it does, though.

At time ZERO, you have a widget filled with gas (air or nitrogen or whatever) in an empty bottle. The pressure inside and outside the widget is equal.

Then you put beer in the bottle and cap it.

As carbon dioxide pressure starts to build up, the system will maintain equlibrium w/ respects to pressure in the head-space and in the widget. Since the widget is submerged in the beer, the only way the pressure can be maintained is for beer to be forced into the widget through the tiny opening.

This compresses the gas in the widget so that it is the same pressure as the gas in the headspace.

When you pop it open, the pressure in the headspace suddenly drops back to 1 atmosphere, which is going to be lower than the pressure of the compressed gas in the widget. Again, the system will try to reach equilbrium, and the only way it can do this is by letting the gas in the widget expand back to the point where it it at 1 atmosphere of pressure.

The expansion of the gas forces the beer that was pushed into the widget to jet out through the opening, and this jetting action is what creates the creamy foam in the beer.

BRILLIANT!

-walker
Click to expand...
 
Omg not drinking the draft are ya?! hehe Try out the Extra Stout, it's the only real store bought (other then S. Nevada Stout, yum!) I drink. GREAT bottles to use, for a 12 oz., and taste a whole lot better then the draft stuff. No widget to worry about as well.
Happy Brewing!
 
Walker said:
BRILLIANT!

-walker
Click to expand...

#1 "I've just invented the six pack!"
#2 "BRILLANT!, what does it do?"
#1 "It's allows you take six beer with you at one time."
#2 "Six beers at one time......BRILLANT" (starts to drink all six beer)
#1 "Wait, you know I've been thinking! It may not be a good idea to drink six beer at one once."
#2 "HHMMMM.......Don't drink six beers at one time..........BRILLANT!!!!"

I love that commercial!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 

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