How do you go about serving with 100% Nitrogen?

[rrslider]

I'm wondering if anybody has experience serving with 100% Nitrogen.

This is the process I'm currently planning to implement.

1. CO2 Carbonation with the Carb Stone:
   • Carb Stone: Connect your CO2 tank to the port with the carb stone. The carb stone, due to its porous nature, diffuses the CO2 into tiny bubbles, allowing for faster and more efficient carbonation.
   • Carbonation: Set your CO2 regulator to the desired pressure for carbonation (typically around 10-14 PSI for ales). Carbonate the beer until you achieve the desired carbonation level. The carb stone will allow for a quicker and more even carbonation.
   • Disconnection: Once carbonated, disconnect the CO2 from the carb stone port.
2. Nitrogenation with the CO2 Post:
   • Connection: Now, connect your nitrogen tank to the CO2 post.
   • Serving Pressure: Set the nitrogen regulator to a higher pressure (typically between 30-40 PSI) which is needed for serving nitro beers. The high pressure pushes the beer out of the keg, giving it the distinctive nitro pour when used with a nitro tap.
   • Pour & Serve: You can now pour and serve your beer with the desired nitrogen effect. Remember, you'd ideally be using a nitro faucet to achieve the creamy nitro effect.
     

I've read that the beer will go flat using 100% nitrogen, so I will have to disconnect the nitrogen periodically and reconnect the CO2. Has anybody tried pushing nitrogen through the carb stone, and leaving the Co2 connected at a low PSI on the other CO2 post? Would this essentially create a mixture similar to beer gas?

 

[passedpawn]

Serve stouts with beer gas. It's 25% CO2, 75% NO2.

 

[passedpawn]

Regarding the carb stone, don't do that - makes no sense anyway since the gas goes into the headspace above the beer. There is a time it takes for gas to dissolve into a volume of beer. It's dependent on the specific gravity of the beer, but anyway it takes about a week without active mixing. Look up Graham's law.

If you want to accelerate the time it takes for gas to be dissolved into beer, Blichmann sells a thing (Quick Carb or something like that).

 

[passedpawn]

Incidentally, beer gas is a pretty good way to serve red wine from a keg as well. Red wine, contrary to popular belief, naturally contains some CO2. When served with nitrogen, as you mentioned, it becomes unnaturally flat. I have a beer gas system for serving red wine from a keg. If you're interested, just ask.

 

[fluketamer]

you can do it but its not ideal and its a guessing game. but i carb up my stout in a minikeg (2.6gal) to about 2 vols. then attach pure no2 wait a day and serve creamy stouts. after a few pints i switch back to co2 and recarb it a little so it doesnt go flat then hit it with the nitro again to serve. like i said its a pita but it works. at least for a single drinker i dont know how it would work long term for large volumes.

 

[odie]

I don't think nitrogen will dissolve into beer. But the CO2 in the beer will gas out into the head space. As the beer level drops, more CO2 will gas out until CO2 in the beer and the headspace is equal again. And thus the beer will slowly go flat.

the CO2 nitrogen mix is what keeps the carbonation/CO2 level inside the beer steady.

 

[Broken Crow]

To answer the post title; "How do you go about serving with 100% Nitrogen":
First: Find a group of deluded folk who believe that is how beer should be served.
Second: Don't use your real name when announcing it to a crowd that knows that Guinness contrivance has only been around since the 1950's.
Three: Like @odie said; Expect it to go flat.
While I do enjoy the occasional 'creamy' nitro-pour stout when I'm out somewhere, unless I had a dedicated tap to stout alone (as many on here do) I wouldn't even bother with Beer-Gas (75/25) let alone buy straight nitrogen unless I had an expensive blending unit to keep the requisite CO2 in the beer.

 

[AlexKay]

I don't think nitrogen will dissolve into beer. But the CO2 in the beer will gas out into the head space. As the beer level drops, more CO2 will gas out until CO2 in the beer and the headspace is equal again. And thus the beer will slowly go flat.

the CO2 nitrogen mix is what keeps the carbonation/CO2 level inside the beer steady.

Nitrogen does dissolve, but it’s roughly 100 times less soluble than CO2. Those few hundredths of a volume do matter in terms of head formation and retention, though: you can tell this because the pours change noticeably in the first day or so they’re on beer gas.

 

[odie]

I've got a 70/30 nitro set up on 2 stout taps. Have yet to prefect the guinness pour.

I'm sure the secret is in the volumes of CO2 in the beer BEFORE tapping it with nitro AND the nitro PSI setting when serving. Some balance between the two.

I hope serving a little colder than "normal" isn't a factor so long as volumes of CO2 and regulator psi are matched.

 

[beren]

Regarding the carb stone, don't do that - makes no sense anyway since the gas goes into the headspace above the beer. There is a time it takes for gas to dissolve into a volume of beer. It's dependent on the specific gravity of the beer, but anyway it takes about a week without active mixing.

The carb stone creates active mixing.

 

[day_trippr]

I'm sure the secret is in the volumes of CO2 in the beer BEFORE tapping it with nitro AND the nitro PSI setting when serving. Some balance between the two.

The secret, if there is one, is to keep the volumes of CO2 around 1.2 - for the life of the keg. That means assuring the combination of temperature, beer gas mix, and the holding & dispensing pressure, all work together to maintain the same carbonation level.

The pressure wants to be driven by the faucet's spec, and at least for Taprite and Micromatic, they both suggest 30 to 35 psi with their standard 5 x .5 plates, so I'd work from there. There's some latitude wrt temperature - it takes about a 4°F shift to lose or gain 1/10th volume of carbonation...

Cheers!

 

[odie]

My keezer runs about 30-32' I'm in south TX and once you pour a beer...it ain't gonna get any colder while you sip it.

 

[Hurphy]

Serve stouts with beer gas. It's 25% CO2, 75% NO2.

Question: just serve with beer gas? Or carb AND serve with beer gas?

 

[fluketamer]

carb with co2 to low volume like 1-2 then serve with beer gas. at least thast mostly what i have read

 

[passedpawn]

carb with co2 to low volume like 1-2 then serve with beer gas. at least thast mostly what i have read

^^ that's what I would do

 

[beren]

^^ that's what I would do

Same

 

[fluketamer]

closer to 2 . nitro stout is soooo creamy