How long to nitrogenate stout?

[djonesax]

I am not sure if that’s the correct term or not, but I have 10 gal of Yoopers Oatmeal Stout that I plan to put on beer gas. I have only up until now put coffee on beer gas which is is great. I plan to serve the beer July 20, and wondered how long it needs to be on the beer gas before serving. My keezer is around 38-40 degrees and currently I have the PSI at 30 for the coffee.

Thanks,

David

 

[Jag75]

Put it on co2 for a few days . I think to around 1.2 -1.5 volumes then hook up to gas blend . It took about 3 or 4 days to get it just right .

 

[Franktalk]

30 PSI for a couple of days should do it. Every time that I've carbonated it first, even to low volumes, has resulted in overly foamy pours. Conditioning with beer gas mix is your best bet.

 

[Jag75]

30 PSI for a couple of days should do it. Every time that I've carbonated it first, even to low volumes, has resulted in overly foamy pours. Conditioning with beer gas mix is your best bet.

I think the problem with carbing with gas blend is your only getting 25% Co2 . That's gonna take a while . Gas blends dont last as long as regular co2 tanks . If I remember I was going back n forth because mine didnt carb up enough at first. That's when someone here told me about putting it on Co2 at first , which worked . I'm sure on Gas blend it will work but it will take longer .

 

[camonick]

30 PSI for a couple of days should do it. Every time that I've carbonated it first, even to low volumes, has resulted in overly foamy pours. Conditioning with beer gas mix is your best bet.

I too have tried force carbing with straight CO2 to 1.5 volumes before putting on a 75/25% beer gas with undesirable results... 2”+ foamy head. I’ve had the best luck just attaching to beer gas blend right from the start and letting it sit for a while, the longer the better. July 20 is 3 1/2 weeks away so I’d put the gas to it as soon as you can and it should be perfect the day you plan to pour in my opinion.
Good luck.
Sláinte

 

[Jag75]

Heck I should of read your post better . You probably will be better off putting on gas blend . If you do it the other way the beer will be gone before the 20th lol

 

[Franktalk]

I think the problem with carbing with gas blend is your only getting 25% Co2 . That's gonna take a while .

True, but keep in mind that your fermented beer can already have a carbonation level of 1.0 volumes, and ideally you only want your nitro beers at about 1.8.

 

[djonesax]

This beer is only 11 days old and I planned on kegging it at three weeks. That would give exactly 2 weeks on the beer gas. Do you think that is enough time? Also being that the beer is under such a high pressure, should I swap the line out for a longer line so it’s not coming out so fast at the tap? Actually, I have flow control taps so maybe a longer line isn’t needed?

 

[Jag75]

I dont change my lines when running gas blend . As of time wise on gas blend I cant answer that . I had it on gas blend for 3 to 4 days and it wasnt close . That's when I was told to put it on co2 for a bit first . All together it took me a bout 6 days to get it carbed right

 

[camonick]

I’m no expert but this method only works properly with a stout faucet... that is the only way to achieve the cascading pour with the fine creamy head.

 

[Jag75]

Yup a nitro tap or a tip .this is what you get.
It's a beautiful thing lol

 

[djonesax]

I have a stout faucet which I use for the coffee. For the actual stout I have an intertap flow control faucet with a stout tip and restrictor plate on it. Should be the same as the stout faucet just it comes out at an angle versus straight down.

 

[Jag75]

That's what I have ^^^^

 

[djonesax]

Sweet, I’ve had the tip forever but never used it. Glad to know it works well.

 

[djonesax]

So I kegged this beer a week later than I hoped and only have this week to prepare it for Saturday. So I went ahead and did 30 PSI of CO2 for less than a day and then put it on the beer gas at 35 PSI. If its not cascading by Wednesday, I'll put it on the CO2 I guess for another day. At 35 PSI on beer gas it comes out of the tap very fast. I have the flow control so I can slow it down but I noticed there is still bit of carbonation and very little cascading yet. Should I not expect the restrictor plate to remove all the carbonation? Also, my kegerator isn't exactly the right temperature for a stout as it sits at about 38 degrees. Id warm it up but I have a kolsch in there too and I don't think people want to drink warm kolsch.

 

[Jag75]

Mine is always set at 38. Sometimes it will climb to 40. Hopefully you'll be good to go. I'm not sure how much of the Co2 the plate removes . It was about a 6 day process for me until it was dialed in perfect. If it's not carbed enough get it back on the co2 for a day . But I'd bet it will be ready by sat easy. Good luck and enjoy that nitro stout!

 

[djonesax]

Cool thanks.

 

[djonesax]

@Jag75 just curious when you pour a glass is it slightly still carbonated? I’m not getting a ton of cascading yet and it’s slightly carbonated so I’m wondering if I should put it back on c02 for a day but don’t want to over carb it. Also do you let it pour at full speed or have you throttled the flow back to pour slower?

 

[Jag75]

It's not carbed a lot . Its minimal . I dont use flow control so it's a regular pour. Is it starting to cascade at all?

 

[djonesax]

Yeah I set it to full flow and it cascades more, but not like yours and the head dissipates within a few min and it’s got a slight tingle of carbonation. It’s sitting at about 35 PSI and I have basically 2 more days before I serve it. It still tastes good so I’m not too worried, just have the first time jitters.

 

[Jag75]

Sounds like its carbed enough. Leave it on the gas blend . It should get better and better . As long as it taste good , that's the most important thing. The cascade will get better with time. I'm sure it's great. What do they say RDWHAHB

 

[-CHRIS-]

I am of the camp that nitrogen does not dissolve in any meaningful amount into beer. What I do is carbonate with pure CO2 to 1.6 to 1.8 volumes and then dispense with beer gas around 30 PSI through a nitro faucet. The tiny bubbles are CO2 coming out of solution from being pushed at high pressure through the restrictor plate.

Chris

 

[Jag75]

@djonesax - howd it turn out ?

 

[djonesax]

It came out really good. I had two beers on tap, a Kolsch and the Nitro Stout, the Kolsch was the overall crowd pleaser and we kicked 10 gallons in a few hours. We didn't kick the Nitro surprisingly and I bet half the people that tried it thought it was flat . Of course the people that knew what a Nitro Stout was, really liked it. I had a Cold Brew Coffee on tap too and it's always funny to see how many people don't understand that it's actually just coffee and not alcohol.