Advanced Cicerones vs. Foaming Gadgets

Beer gadgets are everywhere. A lot of them look hokey, silly or just plain bizarre. Matthew Shapiro and I decided to test some, starting with two foam-enhancing devices. They come from a good place because aroma and flavor are tied to foam. There is no flavor without aroma.

Why foam matters

Aroma reaches your nose because carbon dioxide comes out of solution, forms bubbles, rises into the head and pops, tossing volatile aroma compounds into the air. That is why we pour with a proper head and why Cicerones swirl and sniff. These gadgets claim to do that job for you. I have never had trouble making a beer foam, so I was skeptical, but maybe we have been missing aromas all these years.

The first gadget, beer foaming stones

These little soapstone rocks from Brewmuse look like hops, are hollow in the middle and have a bit of laser etching. The theory is the same as the etching on the bottom of some glassware. Scratches, dirt or etching give dissolved CO2 a nucleation site to gather into bubbles. (If you see bubbles clinging inside a glass at a bar, that usually means the glass is not clean.)

We dropped a stone in a glass, poured a cold beer next to a normal pour. The stone glass got a volcano of foam out of the center. Impressive for a moment. Then the problem showed up. Within about a minute the beer with the stone was close to flat, with carbonation down to roughly English cask ale levels. The sweetness and body felt heavier because the CO2 balance was gone. Meanwhile the beer poured normally was still carbonated. The stone kept blowing off CO2 even after it looked flat. Our theory is that the rough interior supplies a huge amount of nucleation surface area, far more than a little laser etching on a glass.

Our verdict is that we would not put these in our beer again. If a beer were badly overcarbonated you might use one, but you can just swirl the glass. And do not eat the rock, as the box helpfully illustrates.

The second gadget, the sonic beer foamer

Our second gadget cost around $17. You put two teaspoons of water on top and set a glass on it. The directions call for pouring 12 ounces of beer as carefully as possible with no foam into a 20-ounce imperial pint glass. One button changes the color of the light, which is obviously essential. The other fires a short burst of invisible ultrasonic energy.

It was a high-pitched burst and then it was done. We were both surprised. Bubbles formed at tiny imperfections in the glass. The head came out as a dense, mousy foam with super tiny bubbles that stuck around. After a few presses it seemed to fade, probably because water had spilled. Replenishing the water fixed that. You control it better than the stones. We started calling it a beer lava lamp. It also needs six AA batteries, which cost about as much as the device.

Our verdict is that it is a fun party trick and surprisingly interesting, but not worth buying. If a friend owns one, try it. Otherwise, swirl or pour a little harder.

Watch for yourself

Watch the video above to see the volcano and the lava lamp in action. If you want to try them, the stones are from Brewmuse on Etsy and the foamer is listed at This Is Why I'm Broke. More gadget tests are coming. Want to study the sensory side of beer? Start with the Certified Cicerone course. Swap gadget stories in the Beer Scholar community on Skool.

Matthew also runs virtual beer tastings for date nights and corporate events. If that sounds like your kind of evening, email him at [email protected].

Cheers! –Chris