The trend to enjoy a drink at home took off during the pandemic, often accompanied with Zoom quizzes and other kinds of virtual socialising. Now, with St Patrick's Day here, me and my partner needed a means to have the perfect pint of Guiness in the comfort of our home.
While a glass of wine can be enjoyed at home easily enough, beer drinkers know that there's nothing quite as nice as a properly poured pint.
There are some at-home options on that score, with plenty of draught beer pumps now available that can be poured on demand from the kitchen counter. But with prices ranging from £114 (for the Fizzics DraftPour) to a whopping £335 (for Beerhawk's top-of-the-range Perfect Draft Pro) suddenly going to the pub and spending £7 a pint doesn't feel that expensive in comparison after all.
Guinness has caused a stir with their latest release, launching its first foray into high-tech home pouring machine. Not only is it the first item on the market that is specifically made to work with the black stuff but it costs a fraction of the price of the current high-tech pumps currently available.
The Nitrosurge is a £25 USB-powered gadget that uses ultrasonic technology to break down the nitrogen in Guinness, allowing fans to recreate that iconic colour-changing, smooth two-part pour at home.
Since its launch, shoppers up and down the country have been snapping it up, and videos on TikTok showing the iconic beverage poured have been viewed hundreds of millions of times.
The Nitrosurge launched in Ireland late last year and is now finally in the UK for the first time.
It is currently available exclusively at Tesco stores nationwide - Clubcard holders can even get £3 off the price, although eBay is also doing a roaring trade as canny shoppers sell on the gadgets for people who can't get hold of them in their local supermarkets.
Can you actually get a decent pint of Guinness at home? The techies behind the product say so.
The device is, they say, ultrasonic transducer with a specifically tuned wavelength and frequency to deliver a signature surge every time.
I'm not sure about the science behind it, but was keen to put Neil Shah, Head of Guinness GB's launch statement to the test. He said: "We've pushed the boundaries of technology to give Guinness fans an enhanced pouring experience which delivers beautiful, great tasting Guinness, every time.”
As someone who can accidentally make a can of Brewdog's Punk look like an ice cream when pouring it without concentrating properly at home (I would never drink Guinness from a can normally) I couldn't work out if I was the perfect guinea pig for the gadget or the absolute worst.
Time would tell.
How to use the Guinness Nitrosurge
- Charge the Nitrosurge gadget using the USB charger provided. There's even a light-up harp on the front that flashes so you can tell it's charging properly.
- Once it's ready, grab a cold can of Guinness Nitrosurge (it won't work with ordinary cans, you need to get the Nitrosurge compatible ones, currently available in Tesco for £7 for four cans if you have a Clubcard, £8 if you don't). For best results make sure your can has been chilling for at least 24 hours.
- Put the can firmly into the gadget, making sure the device nozzle is aligned with the can opening.
- Press the power button to activate the widget. The iconic Guinness Harp will light up so you know the device is ready for use.
- Pour your pint in the way all the best Guinnesses are: Turn the can horizontal and angle the glass so that the nozzle is drizzling the Guinness down the side. Once it's two thirds full put it down so the drink settles. Then top up to get the iconic creamy head.
Final verdict
As someone who loves Guinness but only drinks it in places where I know it will be poured properly, I wasn't convinced about this before I tried it.
Despite my misgivings, even the first time I poured with it (pictured) I was happy with how my pint turned out, and the end result is only improving with practice.
While cleaning the Nitrosurge is a bit fiddly - not least because it has a USB port you don't want to get wet - it's absolutely worth the effort.
What's more, with this costing as little as £22 for the gadget to make it happen - plus not having a massive beer pump to find cupboard space for afterwards (it's even small enough to tuck into a coolbox for drinks on the move) - this is genius.
I've already added some extra cans of Nitrosurge to my Tesco online order for this weekend, perfect with a weekend of rugby looming.
The velvety goodness of a great pint of the black stuff is now definitely achievable at home.
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