Talk:Widget (beer)

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Just a technical point about the most recent edit, the correct story about the gases is that the beer contains a mixture of dissolved CO2 & nitrogen, with the nitrogen being less soluble and present at around 3% of the total dissolved gases. At initiation the level of dissolved gases is reduced to equilibrium values at the temperature of the beer and the atmospheric pressure at the time - the latter influencing head size by about 1 mm per 10 mp or millibars.JohnAnthonyCarey 08:12, 30 November 2006 (UTC)

This article needs to be less Guinness-specific. Widgets are used in many other stouts, such as Beamish. It should be a generic look at the widget.  OZLAWYER  talk  15:36, 3 June 2006 (UTC)

' "The word "widget" as applied to this device is a trademark of the Guinness brewery." ' Is that incorrect? If Guinness actually owns the trademark of the word 'widget' in the context of beers, then I'm not sure if one can be generic regarding the topic. If Guinness doesn't actually own the trademark, then ..? ZachsMind 23:50, 4 June 2006 (UTC)

I don't know if Guinness owns the trademark for the term, but the page can still be about all widgets. It's irrelevant if the name is owned if it's also used by the general public (if not other breweries) for all widgets. The page could conceivably be renamed something technical if someone had a real problem with it, but I personally think Widget (beer) can stay.  OZLAWYER  talk  13:00, 5 June 2006 (UTC)

While I was in Wales in '92-'94, Worthington introduced their Draughtflow Can for Bitter. This was easily 3 months before Guinness began marketing theirs (their bottles came even later). Worthington ran a series of ads in which a very serious actor would be coerced into singing a silly song about "it's got a widget in it". Other ads featured the same actor getting transformed into a ladybird (ladybug in the US) and being chased by a female ladybird. It might've been a case of industrial espionage, but I think a deeper look will reveal that Worthington did it first.

I'm fairly certain the "serious actor" was stand-up comedian Jack Dee, but don't have a source.--AlmostReadytoFly 18:20, 17 July 2006 (UTC)

"This first-generation widget was a plastic disc held by friction in the bottom of the can. This method worked fine if the beer was served cold; when served warm the can would overflow when opened. The floating widget, which was launched in 1997, does not have this problem."

Really? Then why do i get sprayed with half a bottle when I open one? Diamonion 06:38, 17 August 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Trademark

"' "The word "widget" as applied to this device is a trademark of the Guinness brewery." ' Is that incorrect?"

It seems very unlikely that widget is a tradmark, as Guinness make no such claim on their website. They are careful to identify the word "Guinness" and the logos as trademarks, but they use the word "widget" without capitalization and with no mention of it being a trademark. This would seem conclusive ... if it were a trademark, Guinness would surely mention that in order to protect the mark. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 4.156.135.32 (talk) 17:40, 11 November 2007 (UTC)

2007-11-18: No cupport has been provided for the claim that it's a Guinness trademark, and the preceding paragraph provides a strong reason to delete the reference. So I will delete it.