20oz CO2 and Nitrogen

[KyleWolf]

So I did some looking and found some info but not much and the info I did find, well some contradicted the rest.

I want to brew a stout and use nitrogen. Though i feel getting a whole nitrogen tank is a bit of a waste over a single corny.

What I do have at my disposal is a 20oz paintball aluminum CO2 tank. If I get a CO2 regulator, Nitrogen-CO2 converter, and a converter for the tank size, do you think it is possible to have my 20oz CO2 tank filled with nitrogen to run my stout keg off of?

Some posts say no because it cant handle the pressure, but this was mostly on paintball forums talking about 1800psi...significantly more than what I will most likely use.

Thanks in advance.

Kyle

 

[KYB]

I'm not sure if any place would fill a CO2 tank with Nitrogen. Plus, at 30psi, I think a 20oz tank would be gone in no time. The best thing to use is a 75% Nitrogen / 25% CO2 mix. This keep carbonation over longer periods. Some people have used 100% Nitrogen or Argon with success over a few weeks.

Also, do you have a Stout faucet? If not, the nitrogen is pointless. It is used because a high pressure is required to push the beer through the Stout faucet and create the cascading effect and thick creamy head, and a tank of CO2 would overcarbonate the beer, thus the 75% Nitrogen.

 

[KyleWolf]

a stout faucet is one of the items I would also be purchasing if I was going to toy with nitrogen.

is the 75%-25% mixture something you can have your gas place do for you? Or do people rig up elaborate regulator/tube set-ups to push both nitrogen and CO2 into the keg? Sry, but nitrogen is new lands for me, so I am a little lost.

 

[Shooter]

I haven't used nitrogen/beergas. I believe it comes premixed. However, my understanding is that it remains a gas under pressure in the tank, while CO2 is in liquid form while under tank pressure. So, a 20 oz tank wouldn't give you much.

 

[KYB]

a stout faucet is one of the items I would also be purchasing if I was going to toy with nitrogen.

is the 75%-25% mixture something you can have your gas place do for you? Or do people rig up elaborate regulator/tube set-ups to push both nitrogen and CO2 into the keg? Sry, but nitrogen is new lands for me, so I am a little lost.

Most people do the blend in 1 tank. I go to AirGas. They had to special order it for me. I have a 40cf tank. CO2 is measured in pounds, Nitrogen tanks are in Cubic Feet. I think it's roughly half the size of my 20lb CO2 tank.

You could get a tank of each and get a gas blender if you wanted

 

[malkore]

Its been 15 years since i played paintball, but I do know they had a nitrogen setup, since CO2 doesn't expand quickly enough at cooler temps, but nitro does.

I think the tanks were different...thicker maybe. I never had one, just knew it took a bit of cash to convert your setup to nitrogen.