The Rocket Widget

Dec 30

The Rocket Widget

Now I’m not much of a drinker, but I do imbibe from time to time. Last night I got a wild hair and picked up a six-pack of Guinness Draught Bottles, (when I drink beer, I like to taste beer) and cracked one open when I got home. I didn’t bother reading the label or anything… a good beer is a good beer, right? Pop the top and enjoy. The part of the label I did read was that you don’t need a glass to get the full experience with this stuff, so bottoms up!

But when I got to the bottom of the bottle, I found something more than beer in there.

“What the ????”

A little plastic thingy that looked to be part of the filling equipment was rattling around inside. By this time I’m looking pretty closely at the label for a phone number to call and complain. (I’m not big on product liability lawsuits, but I’ve got to admit, the thought of a fat settlement check did cross my mind.) The label didn’t really say anything about it, but did have a web address, and there I got the straight poop.

Enjoy the authentic taste of GUINNESS anytime, anywhere thanks to another clever little invention, the “rocket widget.”

Once the bottle is opened, the “rocket widget” creates the famous surge and forms the signature creamy head right inside. Every time you take a drink from the bottle the “rocket widget” refreshes the surge so that you get the perfect pint taste with every sip. Ingenious.

Turns out they’ve had this feature in their bottled brew since 2001 (shows how often I get out!) Neat idea. And thinking back, I do remember having a bit more froth whilst sipping than I’d usually experience with a bottle of beer. I’ll have to pay more attention on my next one.


Comments

by Deane,   December 30, 2004 12:12 PM  

Wired has a article about it too:

http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,49020,00.html

$13.5 million to develop it, apparently.


by Michael,   December 30, 2004 12:15 PM  

Rocket widget or no, I still prefer my Guinness in a glass.


by Dave,   December 30, 2004 1:07 PM  

A quote from the Wired article:

"No, the only way to get a good Guinness is from the tap. When you get a good pint there's that lovely, creamy taste: You can't bottle that!"

I'd agree. And add a little lime to it.


by Dave,   December 30, 2004 4:21 PM  

Pedantic - Guinness isn't actually a beer it's a stout

:)


by Dave,   December 30, 2004 11:53 PM  

Thanks Dave, but I'll stick with the Wikipedia definition; "Stout is a dark beer..." :o) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stout


by dz,   December 31, 2004 1:59 AM  

Drinking Guiness out of the can... BLASPHEMY!!! If you enjoy that widget thingy, make sure you try some Boddington's pub ale, too. My personal favorite, next to Guiness.


by dz,   December 31, 2004 2:01 AM  

Holy... wait a minute. I'm confused. So you had a bottle of Guiness with the widget in it??? I read widget and automatically thought can.


by Dave,   December 31, 2004 9:37 AM  

Yes, Mr. Ziegler. A bottle. Bought it at HyVee (am I pathetic or what?) Check the link in the post.

And for the record, it is a very good brew, even drinking it from the bottle. The widget works.


by Richie,   January 1, 2005 4:39 PM  

The "rocket widget" was quite the topic last night (New Year's Eve)! No matter, I really enjoyed my Guinness! My wife said first chance she got she was going to "Google" to find out about it.

Happy New Year!


by Scordo,   February 4, 2005 7:40 PM  

Best Guinness I've had this side of Belfast or this side of a tap handle!


by ,   October 4, 2005 9:43 PM  

quote: Thanks Dave, but I’ll stick with the Wikipedia definition; “Stout is a dark beer…” :o) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stout

I love when idiots are corrected.


by hoke fai liew,   October 6, 2005 3:21 AM  

Can you let me know the name of the company (and contact ) that manufacture the rocket widget in the Guinness draught glass bottle?


by Martin,   April 5, 2006 9:30 PM  

Guiness is #1, all light beer tastes like water.


by whatever,   October 29, 2006 9:12 PM  

guiness beer or stout or whatever sucks. i tried it last night and i have drank many beers and i do proclaim, guiness is nasty, flat, and smells like shampoo. the by far most disgusting beer i have ever had. drink up those who like it. and you can keep your beer and your little plastic thingy too!!


by Steve O'C,   December 31, 2006 8:16 PM  

Guiness bottles are the best thing outside of taps from Dublin especialy in the States we(USA) don't know how to clean the lines


by Tom Matarrese,   February 19, 2007 6:10 PM  

While browsing World Market in Prescott, Az. I was checking out the strange six packs of beer that they had lined up from all of the world when I came across Dublin's Guiness so I decided to purchase a six pack. I got home and popped them into my frig and the next day decided to open one up to try. The same exact thingy was left at the bottom of the bottle. No explanation so we wrote the web address on the six pack box and we received the weirdest explanation. I thought now why hasn't Busch, Coors, Sam Adams and other beer companies thought of the same thing. They tell me because its not necessary for their beers and they don't want to cheat the general public out of beer that this thingy replaces! So instead of 11 ounces we get 9.5 ounces, hey that is a rip off!


by statman,   March 16, 2007 4:55 PM  

Sorry, guys, but an essential (but not critical) part of the beer drinking experience for me is admiring the beer in the GLASS. I poured the sacred brew into a pilsener glass and watched the "bubbles" go DOWN as only Guiness bubbles do and created a nice sized layer of foam on the top. For the tactile, or visually impaired, however, it is very kind of them to create the feeling and taste of foam while drinking from the bottle or can.


by Kyle and Company,   March 17, 2007 7:39 PM  

We're naming our band "Rocket Widget"


by hmm,   July 9, 2007 7:55 PM  

My hubby did the same thing as you, just the other night... & we were at a "4th of July" party with my family. No one knew what it was until he read the label... & I grabbed pair of needle nose pliers & proceeded to pull out the widget... we (all who were now trying to figure out what it was) were all curious as to what it looked like. & has me curious... so, I googled it & got your "site"! Thanks for the post!! :)


by johnny,   November 13, 2007 5:41 PM  

Guinness is second rate compared to gillespies stout now that is class in a glass


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