Help with Nitrogen

I have brewed and kegged a beer that I want to push with Nitrogen (Guinness blend) tank that I have. Since I am new at this, I screwed up and originally slow carbed with straight CO2 (not the blend).

I now have connected the blend to the keg (for 2 days) and poured a test through a guinness type faucet. The CO2 has over carbonated the beer too much to push through this tap. It shoots out very quickly, some nice nitrogen bubbles that dissipate quickly, but also a CO2 head. I have tried to lower the pressure, but that does not help much; plus I think with the blend you usually pour with fairly high pressure?

Any suggestions on how to fix? Any ideas are greatly appreciated.

Im also interested in this, im not sure what happened, my pour is ok, but it never settles out, i had a keg before this and everything was fine. my only guess was that i slow carbed with CO2 and then put on beergas.... any way to fix?

Carbing with CO2 is normal for beer gas as far as I know. Carb with CO2 / push with beer gas. What volumes/pressure did you carb to with the CO2?
The bubbles are still CO2, nitrogen does not dissolve in beer and the CO2/Nitrogen blend is used so you can keep the beer under a higher pressure without overcarbing.
Check that all the bits are installed in your stout tap (including the restrictor plate and flow straightener), the restrictor should slow down the beer so it does not shoot out qucikly.

The recommended amount that I've read to initially carb the beer before putting it on gas is 1.2. Given that you've carbed it well past this with co2, you should de-gas it for a while until you get it down to 1.2. Then, put it on the beer gas blend at 30psi for a week before serving. While the nitrogen does not dissolve in beer (for the most part, it does somewhat) it does need to reach equilibrium according to BYO's recent stout issue from a couple months ago. They recommend running beer gas through a diffusion stone actually, but give the alternative of simply leaving it on the beer gas for a while.

I carbed at 9-10lb for 5 days, straight CO2. I have two stout tap handles and I tried both. I think all the parts are in place? The stricter plate has 5 holes through it?

If over carbonation is the issue is there a way to fix that?

Any other suggestions?

Thanks for the post so far.

I would like to try to have this ready sooner.

What is the best way to de-gas, other than just removing CO2?

Bring it back to room temperature and pull the relief valve to degass. Only put enough head pressure to seal keg. Shake keg to degass. May want to do this outside or in sink because it will foam.
http://sdcollins.home.mindspring.com/ForceCarbonation.html
at 70 F, 10 psi is needed to get to 1.2

You will need longer tubing also, something like 15 feet for your nitro beer line

SBC said:

...You will need longer tubing also, something like 15 feet for your nitro beer line

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Can you explain why we need longer lines for a stout tap?

mattd2 said:

Can you explain why we need longer lines for a stout tap?

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I'm curious as well. AFAIK longer lines would be counterproductive for a nitro set-up, since it would reduce the pressure at the restrictor plate.

Honestly, I don't have a good explanation, other than experience. It works on my system. I was looking at the draft manual and getting more confused. It is early in the a.m. I will have to look more into it.

At our pub I carb my stout in our uni-tanks at 6-8 psi/@45F for
about a week, this is after fermentaion,crash cooling and racking off yeast of course. Then I keg off uni-tank into 1/2 BBL kegs, and put them under 30-35psi head pressure of the 75%/25% nitro @ 38F for a week or so, and you should be good to go. hope this help's. Cheers!!!

I carb to about 1.5 volumes of CO2 max, then push with 80/20 beer gas @ 26-30 psi. Works every time. My beer line is also only about 3 ft long.

TB

So i left this sit in my cellar for a week with the relief valve released, and then recarbed with beergas. it seems to have worked perfectly. the stout has been saved.

The restrictor plate helps balance the system so line set is not important BUT will not help an over carbed beer.

beaksnbeer said:

The restrictor plate helps balance the system so line set is not important BUT will not help an over carbed beer.

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The restrictor plate de-gases the partially carbonated beer to create the foam.