Japanese design studio Nendo has developed an alternative beer can with two angled pull tabs, which were manufactured to control the level of foam produced by opening the can.

Cylindrical in shape, the can is a slender grey-hued container that features two numbered pull tabs rather than a traditional single tab.

Nendo intended to produce a canned beer that can "create an ideal foam" when poured into a glass, rather than too much or too little of the bubbly substance.

The first tab – labelled "1" – opens the lid only slightly but creates a concentrated level of pressure inside the can, which activates the bubbles in the beer.

This allows the user to pour their desired amount of foam into a glass, before opening the second tab, labelled "2".

This tab opens the can's lid to its fullest and creates a smooth and foamless flow of beer, according to Nendo.

"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.

Through its research, Nendo found that by creating a can with a smaller initial opening, the bubbles produced by the drop in pressure remain concentrated in the narrow slit.

The studio also positioned the two tabs at opposite angles on the lid of the can to allow users to flick them open as easily as possible.

"Beer heads [the foamy top of poured beer] are considered essential for having beer taste better, at least in Japan," explained Nendo.

"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, flavour and carbonation," added the studio.

Nendo acknowledged that while most commercial beer is shipped in glass bottles or tanks, beer bought for home consumption is generally packaged in aluminium cans.

The studio aimed to create a can that can produce as controlled an amount of foam as a pint of beer poured into a glass at a bar or a restaurant.

Known for its minimalist product designs, Nendo has previously created recyclable soap dispensers that look like milk cartons and a build-your-own football formed from interlocking plastic modules.

The photography is by Masahiro Ohgami and the video is by Yumika Kanechika.