Nitro Kegging

So, I am going to buy a kegging system shortly and I really want to be able to experiment with both CO2 and Nitro. Is it just as easy to attach a Nitro cannister to the keg as it would to a CO2 cannister? Do I need different equipment?

If you have a local gas supplier that supplies "beer gas", then yes, it's fairly easy.

Beer gas is a blend of CO2 and Nitrogen that comes pre-blended in a tank. You could use your basic CO2 tank to fill, but you would have to buy the adaptor for a regulator. Nitrogen requires a higher PSI, so you'll need a regulator that can handle nitrogen. Check out micromatic.com for some good stuff.

If you don't have a supplier that has beer gas, you'll need to buy a seperate tank of CO2 and Nitrogen. You'll have to use a gas mixer to blend your gas before it hits your kegs. That can get fairly pricey.

I'm not sure if you can use 100% Nitrogen, but I'm sure someone will be able to comment on that.

pure N won't work... it will not dissolve in beer. you would have to constantly carb the vessel with co2, than push with N, carb, push.

Not quite. Pure nitrogen will work just fine, you just have to carbonate with CO2 first. Once CO2 is in solution, you can switch to nitrogen. Under pressure, the CO2 has nowhere to go, so the beer stays carbonated. Beer gas makes the process simpler.

Here's to hoping that AHS has beer gas.

Do you guys prefer Nitro to plain CO2? Are there some beer types that typically benefit from using Nitro vs. straight CO2?

I like my stouts and cream ales on nitro. I've played around with porters, pale ales, even an IPA. There's really no "benefit" of using nitrogen over CO2, you just get a creamier head and feel of a thicker body. It's all personal preference. If you buy the setup, you'll experiment and find beers you love a little "creamier".

Suthrncomfrt1884 said:

Beer gas is a blend of CO2 and Nitrogen that comes pre-blended in a tank. You could use your basic CO2 tank to fill, but you would have to buy the adaptor for a regulator.

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I just wanted to point out that this may not always be the case. Check with your gas supplier first before buying a Nitrogen regulator. The AirGas I go to here in PDX has beer gas in tanks that take CO2 regulators. Other suppliers may use a tank that requires a Nitrogen regulator.

Kilted Brewer said:

I just wanted to point out that this may not always be the case. Check with your gas supplier first before buying a Nitrogen regulator. The AirGas I go to here in PDX has beer gas in tanks that take CO2 regulators. Other suppliers may use a tank that requires a Nitrogen regulator.

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Yes. The trade off is the tank. Nitro tanks are rated to 2000psi whereas CO2 tanks are rated to 1800psi. Nitrogen is filled to pressure not liquid weight. So, the capacity will be smaller. But will work either way.