If you look closely at a glass of freshly poured Guiness (or any beer--but it's easier to see in a dark ale), you'll notice that some of the bubbles are actually falling instead of rising. Explain how this is possible.

Being an empirical scientist, I skipped out of work this morning and went to the local bar to find out more about the phenomenon.  I quickly discovered that Guiness is delicious and I drank the first glass before I noticed any bubbles.  The second and third glasses went down just as quickly.  By the time I remembered why I was at the bar I was on my 20th glass; I was watching the bubbles intently as I slipped from my bar stool and landed firmly on the floor.  I did have the prescience to observe the bubbles follow me to the floor where we all hung on tightly to keep from falling off the face of the earth.

Actually I concur with Federico; the falling bubbles are caught in a convection current in the glass which indicates that someone poured the glass too quickly (unless you like half a glass of head.)

Posted by Erik O. on 2005-01-12 15:54:40