How to get nitrogen effect without nitrogen?

[bennihana]

Is there any way to get the nitrogen effect and mouthfeel without using nitrogren.

Can you use some different ingredents or a special faucet?

Any help or advice or tips would be awesome!

 

[MaxStout]

Not sure what kind of beer you are brewing, but adding some oats to the mash will add some creaminess to the head and mouthfeel.

 

[acidrain]

I have heard of guys using an electric milk frother (a small electric whisk), or using a medical syringe to blast some beer into the glass once it's almost full.
Both methods will give you a creamy head.

 

[ryan_george]

I bought a stout faucet a while ago with plans of hooking it up to a nitrogen/beer gas system. I've since just used it as a regular tap (hooked up to CO2 at my normal pressure) and it seems to give the desired outcome. It essentially pours all foam, but you let it sit for a few seconds to get the cascading effect and it leaves a nice, frothy, creamy head.

 

[Mike3701]

Stout tap on co2 on a lower psi works great. You get alittle cascading and good head!


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[iamwhatiseem]

lactose?
If any of you have ever had 3F's Apocalypse Cow, it is a DIPA with lactose sugar added.
The mouthfeel is very soft

 

[PRE66_6TART]

I've read that people mimic the nitrogen effect after the pour by drawing some beer into a syringe and shooting it back into the glass. I think they just keep the syringe submerged and "pump" it a few times. I've never tried it.

 

[Jeff180]

More info on the syringe method here
https://byo.com/stories/item/743-head-games
I find it works better if the beer is less carbed to begin with.

 

[eastoak]

I've read that people mimic the nitrogen effect after the pour by drawing some beer into a syringe and shooting it back into the glass. I think they just keep the syringe submerged and "pump" it a few times. I've never tried it.

i have, it does work.

 

[bennihana]

The syringe things sounds like a good cheap alternative until i am able to set up a nitrogen or beer gas system.

 

[aryoung1980]

I've also used the syringe method and like it with my stout. I recommend using an imperial pint glass for a 12oz bottle. You can get quite a large head the first few times you try it.


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[OldRunner]

I've read that people mimic the nitrogen effect after the pour by drawing some beer into a syringe and shooting it back into the glass. I think they just keep the syringe submerged and "pump" it a few times. I've never tried it.

This does work. Not trying to come off as pompous, but keep in mind the air we breath is about 70% nitrogen. So an infusion of this kind has the effect of a nitrogen pour.

 

[Mike3701]

Because I was bored and needed an excuse to drink a beer on a Monday afternoon. Here is a quick video of pouring a stout on co2.

[ame]http://youtu.be/h7DwooJFXx8[/ame]


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[Mike3701]

Wow my stout tap is not straight and I stopped the video before I filled the glass but you get the idea. If you crank up the psi for the pour you will get more and longer cascading but I don't like my stouts heavily carbonated.


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[beersk]

What kind of syringe works best?

 

[fossill88]

Best is a children's liquid medicine syringe. I've got a 2 year old daughter so luckily we always have a couple lying around.


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[dzlater]

What kind of syringe works best?

I don't know if it works best, I just use what I have.
I use one of those plastic syringes for injecting marinades into meat.
Makes a world of difference on my English bitters.

 

[bennihana]

wow! thanks for posting the video, i was actually curious how c02 would be on a stout tap. definitely will be looking to upgrade to a stout tap. im also a newie to brewing stouts, does that silky mouthfeel come from the nitrogen or from the ingredients such as flaked barley and oats?

 

[max384]

A stout tap is next on my list of kegerator upgrades. I've always got at least one stout on tap, and I feel like I'm missing out serving it on CO2. I mean, it's still good... But I'd love to serve it on nitrogen. Sorry, no help at all, I know.

 

[Shockerengr]

Getting the cascade effect is trickier...getting the mouthfeel is much easier.

It's not the nitrogen that gives a stout it's creaminess and smoothness...it's the lack of co2 in the served product. The nitrogen is just used to boost the serving pressure without increasing the carb level while not otherwise affecting the beer.

One way is to use a beer engine with a sparkler ... which is what the nitro taps are really emulating. Of course, that's way more effort and money than a nitro setup

The key is knocking the CO2 out of solution once it's poured or as it's poured. Any method that disturbs the beer should work. A syringe, a whisk, should all work. In the guiness cans, the widget just forces a small jet of beer out that does it. If you use a syringe, you just want something you can put enough force into and do the same.

 

[eastoak]

It's not the nitrogen that gives a stout it's creaminess and smoothness...it's the lack of co2 in the served product. The nitrogen is just used to boost the serving pressure without increasing the carb level while not otherwise affecting the beer.

this does not sound right to me, without CO2 in the beer it would be flat. it is the nitrogen bubbles (not soluble in the beer) that give beer a creamy mouth feel along with some of the ingredients that went into the brew.

 

[masonsjax]

No he's right, nitrogen is only there to push the beer at high pressure through the restrictor plate, which breaks the little bit of co2 that's in the beer into tiny little creamy bubbles. That co2 froth coupled with nearly flat beer produces a very smooth mouthfeel. The beergas blend lets you keep a high pressure needed to overcome the restriction of the stout faucet while not overcarbonating the beer.

 

[Shockerengr]

this does not sound right to me, without CO2 in the beer it would be flat. it is the nitrogen bubbles (not soluble in the beer) that give beer a creamy mouth feel along with some of the ingredients that went into the brew.

The beer is largely flat, but it's not devoid of CO2. since the nitrogen isn't dissolved in the beer (well very little compared to co2) there isn't any to come out of solution.

the mouthfeel is smoother because in most beers the co2 comes out of solution in the mouth and adds a prickly/lively sensation.

Another example I can think of for nitrogen not having an affect is long draw draught systems in bars. In a lot of bars the keg room is a significant distance away from the taps, in order to get the beer to the taps with out overcarbonating the beer, nitrogen is used to up the pressure. having a bud light on 45 psi beer gas doesn't make it taste any different.

 

[eastoak]

i've been schooled, good. a local bar serves a pale ale on nitro that i love and i love it even more now. thanks.

 

[bennihana]

The beer is largely flat, but it's not devoid of CO2. since the nitrogen isn't dissolved in the beer (well very little compared to co2) there isn't any to come out of solution.

the mouthfeel is smoother because in most beers the co2 comes out of solution in the mouth and adds a prickly/lively sensation.

Another example I can think of for nitrogen not having an affect is long draw draught systems in bars. In a lot of bars the keg room is a significant distance away from the taps, in order to get the beer to the taps with out overcarbonating the beer, nitrogen is used to up the pressure. having a bud light on 45 psi beer gas doesn't make it taste any different.

this is some good info, so the kegs that bars recieve can be pushed with c02 or beergas, will the higher psi that pushes the beer help to overcarbonate with regular c02 or is it common practice for bars to use beergas?

it also seems to me that if a beer gas or nitrogen supplier is unavailable to me that a stout faucet on c02 would still be a decent way to go along with a cheap syringe as a backup for those extra low carb beers.

 

[masonsjax]

A bar has to carefully balance their system to achieve the perfect carbonation. If the runs are long, beergas is a necessity. They will select the diameter of the run and the specific gas mix ratio (which can be anything they want using a blender) to provide the flow rate and carb levels needed for the distance and temperature they are serving.

You can use a stout faucet on straight co2, but you'll need to turn the pressure up to 25-35 psi when pouring and turn it back down and bleed the keg afterwards to prevent overcarbing.

 

[Mike3701]

All the bars I have ever worked in used beer gas. The keg room is usually far from the bar and there was not enough co2 in the mix. If a keg was on tap for awhile it would go flat.

My stout in the video I think is at 4psi of co2. I just leave it at 4, it takes alittle longer to pour a glass (couple seconds) but I'm happy with it.


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