If you have read this blog for any length of time, you have witnessed me poking fun at what I considered frivolous scientific studies. Today, we celebrate a study I wholly endorse. Someone finally got around to answering this important question: How many bubbles can be produced by a single glass of beer?
It’s a valid question. And, considering that archaeological evidence
indicates humans have been successfully brewing and drinking beer for at least 5,000
years (possibly for as long as 13,000 years), it’s about time we figured out
the bubble thing.
Our hero in the
beer-bubble-counting venture is Gérard Liger-Belair,
a professor of chemical physics at the University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne in
France. Previously, Liger-Belair determined
that one flute of Champagne (a 6-to-10-ounce glass) produces about 1 million
bubbles
Beer is a much better producer
of bubbles. Leaning on carbon dioxide
(CO2) as the agent for creating bubbles, a single half-pint (8-ounce) glass of
beer can bring forth up to 2 million bubbles.
And bubbles aren’t just for
show, they are important in matters of taste.
According to the research: “When bubbles
in a beverage pop on a drinker's tongue, they enhance subtle flavors; by studying
effervescence in liquid, scientists can learn how beverages behave under
different conditions and how that can affect their taste.”
Solid scientific work right
there.
After reading about all of
this, I poured myself a glass of Cold Smoke Scotch Ale. This is my favorite beer, and it’s brewed right
here in Montana. The term “cold smoke” is
used to describe the puffs of powder snow issued by a downhill skier cranking
turns down through freshly fallen snow.
Cheers!
My Glass of Cold Smoke
—Mitchell Hegman
Source: livescience.com, Mindy Weisberger - Senior Writer
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