IPA on N2 tap... awesome!

[shanecb]

I was at a local bar last night, and on their draft list I saw that they had an IPA on an NO2 tap (honestly can't seem to remember what it was, though...). I had to give it a try. It was pretty different, but really great. Picture an IPA with the mouthfeel and lacing of a properly poured Guinness. Anyone else have experience with styles on an NO2 tap that aren't typically?

 

[FiddleTilDeath]

A few of the craft beers in Ireland (if you can find them) do this, including O'Hara's. I remember their Irish Red and Irish Pale Ale being on nitro and being quite delicious.

 

[BigEd]

BTW it's not NO2, its beer gas which is a mix of N2 and CO2. The point is to simulate cask or beer engine service and the right beers do benefit from the treatment.

 

[StoutattheDevil]

all I can ay is no2 on a IPA is a beast in itself. It doesn't lend much to the intensity of the hop bitterness or aroma but it does give the IPA a VERY nice mouthfeel. IMHO no2 experimentation on any beer might open up some nuances to different styles.

 

[Cheaton]

I will reiterate what BigEd said. It isn't NO2.... It is Nitrogen and CO2 commonly referred to as "beer gas". NO2 is a different compound. N02 isn't anything you would want near your beer. N20 is nitrous oxide, which may be useful in beer, but isn't used in beer typically. But that's what whipped cream cartridges use. N02 is nitrogen dioxide...which has never been used for beer that I am aware of. ....

 

[martinirish]

I will reiterate what BigEd said. It isn't NO2.... It is Nitrogen and CO2 commonly referred to as "beer gas". NO2 is a different compound. N02 isn't anything you would want near your beer. N20 is nitrous oxide, which may be useful in beer, but isn't used in beer typically. But that's what whipped cream cartridges use. N02 is nitrogen dioxide...which has never been used for beer that I am aware of. ....

Pulmonary Edema IPA!

 

[mrtrav]

We had Pale Ale in nitro at our SF Beer Week event back in February. It's crazy how much of a difference it makes to the beer.

 

[shanecb]

Eh whatever the gas is... it's pretty awesome in an IPA!

 

[marzsit]

the gas itself has little to do with the mouthfeel.. rather, it's having the beer forced through a restrictor plate at high pressure in the faucet that creates the head and the lacing..... beer gas is needed at the higher pressure to prevent over-carbonating the beer over time.

 

[JadeMonkeyStang]

A few of the craft beers in Ireland (if you can find them) do this, including O'Hara's. I remember their Irish Red and Irish Pale Ale being on nitro and being quite delicious.

I've had both of those during my ongoing trip to Ireland and yes, they're both quite good. It's actually fairly common to do that here. Smithick's, Kilkenny, MacCardles, and a few others are all served on Nitrogen (Yes, it's beer gas, 80% Nitrogen and 20% Carbon Dioxide, but most people just call it Nitro). It's something I like very much and will probably try when I get home.

I also had a local Brewery's PA/IPA on their cask/handpump and that was a very interesting (in a good way) experience. It does give the beer a completely different profile.

 

[Denny]

Personally, I find nitro an abomination for most beers. It decarbonates the beer due to the high pressure pour and seems to strip out the aroma. YMMV.

 

[Palefire]

At Toronado here they've had an IPA on hand-pump for a while now. I had it once and actually didn't really like it. Maybe I'm just too used to IPA's being a little crisper, but the higher temp and lower carb made the IPA a little to sweet and syrupy feeling for my taste. Could just be a matter of getting used to it, though.

 

[shanecb]

At Toronado here they've had an IPA on hand-pump for a while now. I had it once and actually didn't really like it. Maybe I'm just too used to IPA's being a little crisper, but the higher temp and lower carb made the IPA a little to sweet and syrupy feeling for my taste. Could just be a matter of getting used to it, though.

I'm sure compared to your typical IPA that it does take some getting used to. I finally remembered what the IPA was; Mojo Risin'

 

[motobrewer]

IPA's and Pale's are awesome on cask. First time I had one was at C'est what? in toronto. awesome!!

 

[KYB]

Personally, I find nitro an abomination for most beers. It decarbonates the beer due to the high pressure pour and seems to strip out the aroma. YMMV.

If it is too flat I don't like it. There should still be enough CO2 in the beer to be noticeable after the pour and settling.

I was always under the impression a nitro setup would be bad for hoppy beers, as it would strip a lot of the hoppy aromas, and that it was best suited for malty beers. This is why I keep my Extra Stout and Irish Red on nitro, and not other beers. Granted I have never tried it, this is what I read, and it makes sense to me. I haven't bothered to put a hoppy beer on nitro yet. My Extra Stout on nitro is beyond awesome though.

 

[prosper]

Nitro's the main compelling reason for me to switch over to kegging, if I can find the space. There's a pub here that serves marston's pedigree on nitro. Delish. Kilkenny is also commonly served on nitro. It's definitely an acquired taste, though, I really didn't like it at all the first few times I tried it.

 

[the_bird]

IPA's and Pale's are awesome on cask. First time I had one was at C'est what? in toronto. awesome!!

Yup. The was a brewpub around here that served their IPA on cask regularly. Very good beer regularly - pretty standard American-style IPA; on cask, it was otherworldly. Cutting back on the CO2 seems to help unmask some of the hop flavors, as well as bring out the malt. All kinds of different layers to the beer that just aren't there under normal carbonation. Plus, uber-smooth and drinkable.

 

[King of Cascade]

Our club did this experiment where the same IPA was split in to two different kegs. One was carbonated with CO2 and the other with beer gas. It seems the beer gas didn’t bring out the aroma and flavor of the hops but did have a nice mouth feel. We voted on the favorite and it was unanimously the CO2 version.