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Ok, lets talk about the widget:
First off, it is not present in the old bottles. In the cans, they have the round shaped widget, and in the new bottles, they use the new cylindrical "rocket widget."
Second, it does not "contain nitrogen." Nitrogen and carbon dioxide are used in the packaging, and the nitrogen is used because it provides much finer bubbles.
The way the widget works, is that it is relatively hollow, and has a couple small holes in it, with a valve type closure. During packaging, when the container becomes pressurized, a small amount of beer is pushed into the widget. Upon opening of the package and release of the pressure, the beer is forcefully purged from the widget, and this action causes the gases to come out of solution which produces a number of nucleation sights for further bubble developement.
This is fairly common in beers packaged with nitrogen, as the nitrogen is more soluble than carbon dioxide, so it needs some help to come out of solution. Hence the nucleation sites.
Lastly, Guiness ROCKS. Especially when drunk in the panoramic bar at the top of the "Guiness Experience" in Dublin. If you get the right bartender to pour your drink, they carve a shamrock in the head of the beer with the final dribblings out of the tap.
/fermentation scientist, Oregon State University. 6 months away from a Master's degree in beer.
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