The Foam is Sonic

I have to admit that I was skeptical about the Sonic Foamer. I am wary of beer gear that promises an improved beer tasting experience. My radical enjoyment plan is to enjoy the beer.

And getting the Sonic Foamer up and running did not help matters. First, it requires six AA batteries. My Apple mouse and keyboard need four between them. Anything over two should be given an electrical cord. End of story. The battery cover requires a screwdriver as well.  The next design flaw is the on/off switch being on the bottom. Put it on the side people. Especially considering you have to put two teaspoons of water on the top. Which leads to the next issue.  Now your glass is wet.
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I know this sounds petty and trivial but design is important. A light at the bottom does not eradicate other design flaws no matter how many colors it can become. After all of this mini-hassle, I put the shaker pint on the conducting plate with the water. I had two different beers for the experiment. A session IPA and a Festbier. Hoppy and malty. I smelled and tasted each before and after the hot foaming action.

To my pleasant surprise, the Sonic Foamer worked. Each beer was noticeably more aromatic after a few button pushes. Watching the bubbles flow upward and new foam being created was quite cool. I would use it at the halfway mark of drinking to freshen up the beer in the glass.

Since aroma is so important this tool helps to teach that lesson. Take one sip midway through your beer, foam it, then taste again. How did the beer change?  Did it change for the better?  I could see this helping with 22oz bottles that might have lost a little luster.

Foam Test 1
Foam Test 1

If you, as a beer drinker, are fond of beer educational items.  This might just be one to showcase the power of aroma on beer.

Foam Test 2
Foam Test 2

Sonic Screwdriver

I received this press release in my inbox about the Sonic Foamer and I have to comment on it. I don’t have one, so I don’t know if it works as advertised. But it has the look of a gadget that gets used once and then is forgotten. Anyway, let’s dissect the release….

“Starting this week, a new product will come to America that allows beer drinkers to enjoy a great beer more fully by enhancing flavor and aroma. It is widely accepted in the beer community that the first taste of a properly poured beer is the best taste. The turbulence of the pour creates the head and opens the beer’s aromatic qualities for a full burst of flavor. The dilemma has been that the beer’s aroma and taste diminishes as the head dissipates.”

I appreciate the fact that the discuss aroma and taste without mucking it up. But is it a problem? And a widely accepted one at that?

“Anyone can appreciate an ice cold beer after a hard day at work or with a great meal, but to really enjoy that beer, you need to be able to smell it! Up to 90% of taste actually lies in our ability to smell, a link that has tremendous impact on how we experience our favorite flavors, according to Dr. Alan Hirsch and other scientists at the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago.”

Again, kudos for reiterating how important aroma us to beer. But how am I to know who and what the Smell and Taste Treatment Foundation is legit?

“This means you can’t fully experience a great beer without a great head. California Creations knows this and that’s why they are launching the SONIC FOAMER”

A) bad name
B) of course it is from California
www.sonicfoamer.com

“This incredible new device uses finely tuned, ultrasonic sound or vibrations to create ideally small sized bubbles in a beer’s head. It can do this multiple times throughout one beer. This means it can revive the head as needed and maintain the aroma for the best beer drinking experience possible.”

Really? Vibrations.

“The owner of California Creations, Mark Dinges regards the new product as a revolution for beer drinkers everywhere: “I’ve never been involved with a product quite like this one that inspires so much excitement and enthusiasm in customers. Once the consumer tries the product, they want to share it with their friends, take videos and pictures on their phones, it really transforms the experience of enjoying your favorite beers.”

No more cat videos. YouTube and Vine will be filled with sonic beer snippets.

“Not only is the Sonic Foamer useful, but it’s also fun to use. The ultrasonic sound is transmitted through an activation tray on top of the unit. A small amount of water placed on the tray conducts the vibrations through the glass and into the beer. The result is an almost magical explosion inside the beer. Within seconds, a perfect head appears on top. Even non-beer drinkers love to watch the Sonic Foamer in action!”

Of course it has sound. But how exactly is that fun?

“It uses a precisely tuned, ultrasonic vibration to excite the gases in the beer. It creates consistently sized small bubbles for a custard-like mouth feel and an ideal structure to last a remarkably long time. What’s more amazing is that you can manage the head throughout the entire beer. When the head dissipates, you can recharge it with the Sonic Foamer at any time. This process causes the beer drinker to concentrate on the head and the aroma, which is very significant to the craft beer industry. It is hard to fully appreciate this process unless you try it for yourself.”

Drop the science on us.

Like I said, maybe this works and works well. They have an endorsement from the Denver Beer Co. And they seem more interested in the craft beer market which is another plus but for $39.99 a pop it would have to work wonders plus it would have to leap over the As Seen on TV / Shark Tank vibe the press release sends to me.