Homebrewing stouts

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Cambriel

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This might be a common question, but can homebrew stouts be served with normal CO2 or is a nitrogen mix a necessity? A creamer tap is easy enough to snag, but a whole new gas tank, lines etc. is a considerably larger investment...
 
Excellent. I'm starting my third batch this weekend and figured I'd give a stout a try.

Thanks!
 
I'm looking at a vanilla stout someone posted in the recipes forum. I suspect the local homebrew store owner will probably adapt it somewhat to keep the cost down, but he's really good about letting me bring in a random printout then putting it all together.
 
I bought my kegerator for the expressed purpose of drinking stout as I do not particularly care for many ales or pilsners. I run Murphy's Irish Stout exclusively in my kegerator, and although running it through a 'normal' faucet and pushing with CO2 (at your normal 8-12lbs) is possible, nothing compares to actually converting your draught system into a 'stout' system. After running a 50L keg through with the CO2 and 'normal' faucet, I made the upgrade to the 'stout' faucet and mixed blend gas and ran another barrel through. The difference is well worth the cost if you are as anal with your beer as I am with mine.

The cost is rather high, I had to buy the special faucet for ~$90 (it is brass - you may find a cheaper one), and I depressurized the CO2 and replaced with a mixed blend of 75%Nitrogen/25%CO2. The difference is remarkable, and gives you that perfect, rich, cascading head that everyone raves about. Also, depending on your line length and line diameter, you need to determine at what pressure to set the regulator at, as stout needs to be HIGH to force it through the special faucet - it has TINY holes and a plastic 'spinner' which is what agitates the liquid as it is being poured (my calculations came to 32lbs, and it pours perfectly). There is an easy way to determine this pressure using a formula - I can't find it right this second - but there are multiple resources online for it.

I was able to convince my local gas supply store to charge my 5lb tank with the blend, but you may not be so lucky. Officially, you need a stronger tank to hold Nitrogen, and most companies wouldn't consider putting Nitrogen in a CO2 rated tank.

So I got away cheap with $90 for the upgrade, but officially you will also need a different tank for mixed blend gas containing mostly Nitrogen as well as the adapter from that special tank to your regulator.

I just finished purchasing all the equipment I need for my first AG batch of stout and plan on brewing tomorrow morning. I will be sure to post some pics of the process and let you all know how it turns out!

Wish me luck!
 
best of luck, I was fortunate enough to pick up a massive Nitrogen tank when I bought mine off of craigslist (kegerator, half keg, 2 taps, all supplies, 5 lb CO2, and massive nitrgoen tank for $150)!!

my question is this. since the nitrogen is a blend, does that mean you can carbonate a stout off of the blend...or is it better to use the CO2, and then switch to the nitrogen blend once it's fully carbonated?

again, good luck
 
i prefer my stouts to be non-nitrogen.

I have never tried this, but I do have this massive nitrogen tank just sitting there...I guess I could always (when I get the next kegerator), buy a commerical stout and run it through this...but I would rather enjoy my home stout the way it is meant...ramble done for now
 
I, too, serve my stouts on CO2 from a normal tap. I've never taken a sip and said, "MAN I wish that was on nitrogen." :)

While certainly not a Guinness pour, the head is still rich and creamy.



-Joe
 
do you think it would be worth it to offer a trade straight up with the gas store for the nitrogen tank I have for a co2 tank? I am not sure of the size container but I know it is 3 feet tall...is that 15lbs? I am at work and I have not looked, thanks
 


Ahh yes! That is exactly how my stout poured before the conversion. You can even SEE that the bubbles are MUCH larger than with the mixed blend. The taste is also much more 'carbon-esque' and it tastes too much like a 'fizzy' ale for my liking.

The head on a stout pushed with the blend is so thick you could put up wall paper with it, the nitrogen bubbles are extremely tiny (necessitating the stronger tank), and it gives you that Guiness-Style frothy moustache everytime!

- John
 
You'll never hear me argue against a nitrogen pour - there is certainly something special about that soft, creamy head. My Facebook avatar shows my love:

moustache.jpg


I was just answering the OP's question about whether it's necessary to enjoy stout at home.

-Joe
 
Stout is the one brew that I prefer to bottle. Not because of any affect on the head but because it's much easier to share that way. I find that stout is a wonderful way to introduce people to homebrew, even those who don't like beer (shudders and shakes head).
 
Nitro stouts are neat, but I just use CO2. Using champagne yeast for carbonating can give a better head.
 
I'm drinking a HB stout from a Coopers extract kit. It's an extract beer but it's still pretty darn good, so I'd say yes you can brew a stout w/o nitrogen. :)

JB
 
I have never tried this, but I do have this massive nitrogen tank just sitting there...I guess I could always (when I get the next kegerator), buy a commerical stout and run it through this...but I would rather enjoy my home stout the way it is meant...ramble done for now

are stouts "meant" to be nitro'd?

i don't think so. my opinion.
 
Stouts have been around long before we as a race were able to bottle and compress nitrogen for various purposes including serving stout. I have a big RIS that is bottle conditioning now until christmas when the first cap will be popped. Is there a big difference between bottle conditioned and nitrogen?

Also someone asked earlier and wasn't answered. Do you carb with the nitrogen or do you carb with c02 and then serve via nitrogen? I've toyed with the idea of nitrogen when I get a keezer built but not sure about being able to justify the additional cost of the tank and such. C02 tanks can take hydros for a LONG time but nitrogen is a much higher pressure gas so as far as I know much like breathing air tanks it has a life of how many tests they perform on it. I used to manage some breathing equipment, the tanks were steel with carbon fiber wrap and pressurized to 4500psi. They could only be hydroed I think three or four times. Enough rambling....
 
From what I have read,
25/75 CO2-Nitrogen blend at 30psi
Using a "special" faucet for Guiness
That is a formula used for Guiness Draught in bars.
Of course a good stout on tap, or bottled is still a good stout, IMHO!
 
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