Nendo designs unique beer can with two angled pull tabs to create the perfect liquid-to-foam ratio

May 05, 2023

I love Japanese design studio Nendo, their designs are minimal timeless classics that manage to stay relevant irrespective of the passing trends and fads. And, Nendo recently unveiled a new and innovative beer can with two angled pull tabs that can control the liquid-to-foam ratio of your drink. The alternative beer can precisely control the level of foam that is created while opening it! Pretty cool, right? We thought so too.

Designer: Nendo

The minimalist-looking can is cylindrical in shape, and is colored a somber grey. It has a sleek and slender form that features two angled pull tabs instead of the singular tab you find in traditional beer cans. Nendo designed the beer can in an attempt to “create an ideal foam” when you pour yourself a glass of beer – ensuring that you have the perfect amount of bubbles, not too much, not too less.

As mentioned earlier there are two tabs. The first tab is labeled ‘1’, and as you tug at it, it opens the lid only slightly, applying a certain amount of pressure on the can, allowing the foam to bubble up. The user can then pour the foam into a glass, before proceeding to open the second tab labeled ‘2’. When you pull at this tab, it opens the lid completely, allowing the beer to flow out seamlessly without any excessive foam or bubbles pouring out, preparing the perfect glass of beer! “In this way, a glass with a liquid-foam ratio of 7:3, the so-called golden ratio, can now be easily achieved with canned beer,” said the studio.

“Beer heads [the foamy top of poured beer] are considered essential for having beer taste better, at least in Japan. A layer of foam with adequate thickness acts as a lid to prevent beer from coming into contact with the air and keeps it from releasing aroma, flavor, and carbonation,” said Nendo. Hence, through their thorough research, Nendo realized that by creating a can with a smaller first opening, the bubbles produced can remain concentrated in the slim slit. The two angled tabs placed opposite to one another also allow the users to flick them open easily.