If you’ve ever wondered what happens to beer when it hits a hot frying pan, this video will show you. You may expect it to sizzle and evaporate, but depending on the type of beer you use, that’s not necessarily the case.

The beer used in this YouTube video is Newcastle Ale, and the results are surprising. Instead of simply sizzling out, it becomes a gel-like substance that dances around the pan. This is a result of something called the Leidenfrost effect. What is that, you ask? Wikipedia explains:

The Leidenfrost effect is a phenomenon in which a liquid, in near contact with a mass significantly hotter than the liquid's boiling point, produces an insulating vapor layer keeping that liquid from boiling rapidly.

After seeing the video I decided to try this for myself, but the only beer I had available was Bud Light. As you’ll see in the photos below, I did not get the same effect.

Immediately after pouring beer into a hot pan:

Beer in a frying pan
Photo courtesy Bethany Lee
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A few seconds later:

Beer in a frying pan
Photo courtesy Bethany Lee
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About 30 seconds in:

Beer in a frying pan
Photo courtesy Bethany Lee
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It was pretty uneventful.

While my beer didn’t produce the same effect as the experiment above, I am proud to say I have successfully burned beer. Yay me!

What types of strange experiments have you done in the kitchen?

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