SCIENCE! *hic*

[AFK]

Some useful empirical data on how to successfully poor your New Year's Eve libations this weekend:

http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2010/12/28/5726948-how-to-pour-that-drink-scientifically

Alan Boyle writes:What's the best way to pour a glass of New Year's Eve champagne? Scientists have the answer.

If you want to make the most of your glass of bubbly, you should pour the wine down the side of the glass, French researchers reported in a paper published by the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry this summer.

Gerard Liger-Belair and his colleagues at the University of Reims used infrared thermography to track how much carbon dioxide was released from champagne under a variety of pouring conditions. They reported that the traditional technique, which involves pouring the wine straight down into the bottom of a champagne flute, may make a splash — but also releases a lot of the CO2 before the glass can be brought to your lips.

Studies have shown that the release of dissolved CO2 in the mouth is what's behind the pleasurable taste and feel of champagne. Thus, pouring a stream of wine down the side of the glass preserves more of the bubbles, so that they can tickle the palate as you drink. It's not just that fewer bubbles pop: A less turbulent slide into the glass cuts down on the invisible diffusion of dissolved CO2 into the air, which accounts for most of the loss of effervescence. (This is also why narrow flutes are preferred over the wide-bowl glasses of the old days: less surface area for CO2 loss.)

The CO2 loss can be twice as much for a down-to-the-bottom pour as it is for a down-the-side pour, depending on the circumstances, the French researchers found.

Temperature also plays a big role in preserving the bubbly. Storing the champagne at a temperature of 39 degrees Fahrenheit (3.8 degrees Celsius) seems to be the best way to go. If you pop open a bottle at 64 degrees F (18 degrees C) ... well, at that temperature, you might as well slosh the stuff into a paper cup.

In a 2006 study published in the same journal, Liger-Belair's team listed some other tricks to control how your sparkling wine sparkles after you've poured it into the glass. They found that more bubbles are sparked if there are minute fibers or scratches in the glass. Thus, older, scratched-up glasses release bubbles more quickly than newer, slicker glasses.

If you want bubblier champagne in the glass, you can try wiping the flutes vigorously with a towel to leave some fibers behind. If you want to tone down the bubbles (and let them pop on your palate instead), wash the flutes and let them air-dry on a rack, sans toweling.

But Liger-Belair says the bottom line for maximizing your bubbly is to angle your glass and pour your champagne in a "beer-like" fashion — down the side.

And speaking of beer ... experts do agree that you should start pouring your winter brew down the side, to minimize turbulence and maximize the liquid volume. But at the end, you should pour enough of the beer into the center of the glass to create an appropriate head of foam. This video from How Stuff Works shows you how the two-part pour is done with Guinness stout.

By the way, cans of "draft" Guinness nowadays contain capsules of pressurized nitrogen that maximize the beer's frothiness. The folks at My Science Project (already renowned for their research into the mysteries of Jell-O shots) have conducted some experiments aimed at analyzing the effects of various foam-producing technologies.

And we all know why the bubbles in a properly poured Guinness sink down the inner wall of the glass, don't we? You may have to do that experiment yourself on New Year's Eve. Ah, the sacrifices we must make in the name of science!

[Fujikoma]

I tried pouring it down the side of the glass, and it just made a big mess!

[Bebek Sincap Ratatosk]

I tried pouring it down the side of the glass, and it just made a big mess!

[AFK]

I tried pouring it down the side of the glass, and it just made a big mess!

I think perhaps one of your inputs was off.  Try running the data again!

[Fujikoma]

I tried pouring it down the side of the glass, and it just made a big mess!

I think perhaps one of your inputs was off.  Try running the data again!

Nope. Tried the other side with the same result... This is getting expensive.

EDIT: Yeah, I generally pour any fizzy beverage the way I would a beer, having it hit the bottom of the glass full force makes a mess whether you spill it or not (because foam seems to spray bits of liquid everywhere, and beer will run over if you're not careful), especially with soda... Though I wasn't aware of why it was a superior technique of pouring champagne...

Just a question, not to derail the thread or anything, but does tapping on the top of a can of soda or beer help to defoam it, so it doesn't hose everything down when you open it? I've had a good deal of success with it, but I've had to spend a lot of time debating whether it's wasted effort or not with people who think it's hogwash.

[AFK]

Maybe it's your arms. 

[Bebek Sincap Ratatosk]

I tried pouring it down the side of the glass, and it just made a big mess!

I think perhaps one of your inputs was off.  Try running the data again!

Nope. Tried the other side with the same result... This is getting expensive.

EDIT: Yeah, I generally pour any fizzy beverage the way I would a beer, having it hit the bottom of the glass full force makes a mess whether you spill it or not (because foam seems to spray bits of liquid everywhere, and beer will run over if you're not careful), especially with soda... Though I wasn't aware of why it was a superior technique of pouring champagne...

Just a question, not to derail the thread or anything, but does tapping on the top of a can of soda or beer help to defoam it, so it doesn't hose everything down when you open it? I've had a good deal of success with it, but I've had to spend a lot of time debating whether it's wasted effort or not with people who think it's hogwash.

My ninth grade science teacher once posed the question asking how to calm down a can of soda before opening it. Someone said 'tap on the top' and his reply was:
So what scientific principle is at play when you tap the top? Or did you forget that you aren't in Magic class?

[Phox]

I tried pouring it down the side of the glass, and it just made a big mess!

I think perhaps one of your inputs was off.  Try running the data again!

Nope. Tried the other side with the same result... This is getting expensive.

EDIT: Yeah, I generally pour any fizzy beverage the way I would a beer, having it hit the bottom of the glass full force makes a mess whether you spill it or not (because foam seems to spray bits of liquid everywhere, and beer will run over if you're not careful), especially with soda... Though I wasn't aware of why it was a superior technique of pouring champagne...

Just a question, not to derail the thread or anything, but does tapping on the top of a can of soda or beer help to defoam it, so it doesn't hose everything down when you open it? I've had a good deal of success with it, but I've had to spend a lot of time debating whether it's wasted effort or not with people who think it's hogwash.

My ninth grade science teacher once posed the question asking how to calm down a can of soda before opening it. Someone said 'tap on the top' and his reply was:
So what scientific principle is at play when you tap the top? Or did you forget that you aren't in Magic class?

I fucking wanted to be.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

I tried pouring it down the side of the glass, and it just made a big mess!

I think perhaps one of your inputs was off.  Try running the data again!

Nope. Tried the other side with the same result... This is getting expensive.

EDIT: Yeah, I generally pour any fizzy beverage the way I would a beer, having it hit the bottom of the glass full force makes a mess whether you spill it or not (because foam seems to spray bits of liquid everywhere, and beer will run over if you're not careful), especially with soda... Though I wasn't aware of why it was a superior technique of pouring champagne...

Just a question, not to derail the thread or anything, but does tapping on the top of a can of soda or beer help to defoam it, so it doesn't hose everything down when you open it? I've had a good deal of success with it, but I've had to spend a lot of time debating whether it's wasted effort or not with people who think it's hogwash.

My ninth grade science teacher once posed the question asking how to calm down a can of soda before opening it. Someone said 'tap on the top' and his reply was:
So what scientific principle is at play when you tap the top? Or did you forget that you aren't in Magic class?

You tap the fucking side to knock the CO2 bubbles off the side, so they'll go back into solution.

Your 9th grade science teacher might have been witty, but he was an idiot.

[Bebek Sincap Ratatosk]

I tried pouring it down the side of the glass, and it just made a big mess!

I think perhaps one of your inputs was off.  Try running the data again!

Nope. Tried the other side with the same result... This is getting expensive.

EDIT: Yeah, I generally pour any fizzy beverage the way I would a beer, having it hit the bottom of the glass full force makes a mess whether you spill it or not (because foam seems to spray bits of liquid everywhere, and beer will run over if you're not careful), especially with soda... Though I wasn't aware of why it was a superior technique of pouring champagne...

Just a question, not to derail the thread or anything, but does tapping on the top of a can of soda or beer help to defoam it, so it doesn't hose everything down when you open it? I've had a good deal of success with it, but I've had to spend a lot of time debating whether it's wasted effort or not with people who think it's hogwash.

My ninth grade science teacher once posed the question asking how to calm down a can of soda before opening it. Someone said 'tap on the top' and his reply was:
So what scientific principle is at play when you tap the top? Or did you forget that you aren't in Magic class?

You tap the fucking side to knock the CO2 bubbles off the side, so they'll go back into solution.

Your 9th grade science teacher might have been witty, but he was an idiot.

I don't think that is true... best case scenario, you could knock off bubbles and they would float upward thus displacing less foam when you open it... but I'm pretty sure tapping won't push CO2 back into the solution.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

I tried pouring it down the side of the glass, and it just made a big mess!

I think perhaps one of your inputs was off.  Try running the data again!

Nope. Tried the other side with the same result... This is getting expensive.

EDIT: Yeah, I generally pour any fizzy beverage the way I would a beer, having it hit the bottom of the glass full force makes a mess whether you spill it or not (because foam seems to spray bits of liquid everywhere, and beer will run over if you're not careful), especially with soda... Though I wasn't aware of why it was a superior technique of pouring champagne...

Just a question, not to derail the thread or anything, but does tapping on the top of a can of soda or beer help to defoam it, so it doesn't hose everything down when you open it? I've had a good deal of success with it, but I've had to spend a lot of time debating whether it's wasted effort or not with people who think it's hogwash.

My ninth grade science teacher once posed the question asking how to calm down a can of soda before opening it. Someone said 'tap on the top' and his reply was:
So what scientific principle is at play when you tap the top? Or did you forget that you aren't in Magic class?

You tap the fucking side to knock the CO2 bubbles off the side, so they'll go back into solution.

Your 9th grade science teacher might have been witty, but he was an idiot.

I don't think that is true... best case scenario, you could knock off bubbles and they would float upward thus displacing less foam when you open it... but I'm pretty sure tapping won't push CO2 back into the solution.

One or the other, it works.

I know it works, because I experimented with it, with two warm diet cokes and a paint shaker.

[Fujikoma]

I'll try the side tapping thing next time I get a warm, shaken soda or beer, though, tapping the top with the side of my thumb has almost always worked, perhaps tapping the side will work much better (though, not sure how much more room there is for it working better, probably better to do it the right way, regardless).

Magic class? I missed out, they didn't offer that where I went to school... Your ninth grade science teacher sounds like a jerk... But who knows? He might have been badass, I can't say, I wasn't there.

I have tested it too, it really does seem to work... Then again, maybe it's magic.

EDIT: By I have tested it, I meant, I have tested tapping on the top.

[Richter]

I tried pouring it down the side of the glass, and it just made a big mess!

Try aiming for the hole next time.

Much like what she said.

[Bebek Sincap Ratatosk]

I tried pouring it down the side of the glass, and it just made a big mess!

I think perhaps one of your inputs was off.  Try running the data again!

Nope. Tried the other side with the same result... This is getting expensive.

EDIT: Yeah, I generally pour any fizzy beverage the way I would a beer, having it hit the bottom of the glass full force makes a mess whether you spill it or not (because foam seems to spray bits of liquid everywhere, and beer will run over if you're not careful), especially with soda... Though I wasn't aware of why it was a superior technique of pouring champagne...

Just a question, not to derail the thread or anything, but does tapping on the top of a can of soda or beer help to defoam it, so it doesn't hose everything down when you open it? I've had a good deal of success with it, but I've had to spend a lot of time debating whether it's wasted effort or not with people who think it's hogwash.

My ninth grade science teacher once posed the question asking how to calm down a can of soda before opening it. Someone said 'tap on the top' and his reply was:
So what scientific principle is at play when you tap the top? Or did you forget that you aren't in Magic class?

You tap the fucking side to knock the CO2 bubbles off the side, so they'll go back into solution.

Your 9th grade science teacher might have been witty, but he was an idiot.

I don't think that is true... best case scenario, you could knock off bubbles and they would float upward thus displacing less foam when you open it... but I'm pretty sure tapping won't push CO2 back into the solution.

One or the other, it works.

I know it works, because I experimented with it, with two warm diet cokes and a paint shaker.

TGRR: breaking science yet again

[AFK]

Just shove the neck bottle down your throat, inhale, and enjoy!