What Gives Guinness its Thickness?

[tim]

Chris,

The Guiness patent includes the following statement. "it is relatively insoluble in fermented liquor such as beer, e.g. in the order of less than 0.05 vol./vol. as compared with 100%"

I will grant you that it appears that Guiness contains a very small percent of Nitrogen molecules. This article also points out that the gas is applied by injecting foam into the liquid, a process I did not assume.

The article quantifies the volume of dissolved carbon dioxide at 51 to 53 times the abount of nitrogen. This means that the beer is 98.1% carbonated and 1.9% nitrogenated by volume.

I still understand that high pressure Nitrogen is not easily absorbed by liquids. CO2 under pressure is easily absorbed by liquid with no exitation.

You will be shocked to know that 78% of air consists of Nitrogen. I merely stated that, "I don't assume that nitrogen is absorbed by liquids at 14.7 pound per square inch of pressure." The bends is caused by gas absorbed by body under pressure and not wanting to be aborbed under normal pressure.

Tim

Edited October 14, 2006 by tim (log)