Nitrogen extraction

[jclaine]

I have searched around and I have not found anything on this yet (if this has been discussed a million times, my apologies and please point me to those pages.)

Today there was a featured instructible about how to make bacon whiskey by putting whiskey and bacon in a whip cream dispenser then charging the canister with nitrogen. I was curious if this could be done with hops or if any one has done this with chocolate, coffee, vanilla, or anything else? If so what have you had success with and what has been a disappointment? I'd also like to hear about your method (did you use water, alcohol or something else in the dispenser?)

I was thinking at the very least if the cost/yield ratio is too large for a 5/10 gallon batch and if the product of this process tastes >=90% of what a infusion in the secondary would be, you could feasibly infuse a few bottles as a test to see what a batch would taste like with whatever your trying to infuse.

 

[ajdelange]

Why would anyone want to ruin good whisky in this way?

Anyway, assuming one does, it works because the cylinder is charged with nitrous oxide - not nitrogen. Nitrous oxide is very soluble in fat. That's why it is used in whipped cream dispensers - it dissolves in the fat content of the cream and causes bubble formation when the cream is released to atmospheric pressure.

Of the other items listed only chocolate contains any fat and thus would be the only item that would pick up the N2O and foam. But even if it did why would anyone want whipped hops?

Or perhaps I misunderstand and the object is to extract hops flavor. If that's the case there are solvents which can be used to do this (but not by home brewers). Home brewers could, if they wanted to go to the trouble, extract the essential oils of hops by steam distillation. It would be much simpler to simply buy the oils from one of the companies that produce them.

 

[thughes]

Easier ways to do this with hops:

http://www.stempski.com/hop_vodka.php

 

[ajdelange]

Steam distillation is actually simpler but you have to have the equipment. It isn't terribly sophisticated (mantle, distilling flask, special receiver and reflux condenser) but not found in the average kitchen. Easier still is buying the commercial oil.

 

[jclaine]

Why would anyone want to ruin good whisky in this way?

Anyway, assuming one does, it works because the cylinder is charged with nitrous oxide - not nitrogen. Nitrous oxide is very soluble in fat. That's why it is used in whipped cream dispensers - it dissolves in the fat content of the cream and causes bubble formation when the cream is released to atmospheric pressure.

Of the other items listed only chocolate contains any fat and thus would be the only item that would pick up the N2O and foam. But even if it did why would anyone want whipped hops?

Or perhaps I misunderstand and the object is to extract hops flavor. If that's the case there are solvents which can be used to do this (but not by home brewers). Home brewers could, if they wanted to go to the trouble, extract the essential oils of hops by steam distillation. It would be much simpler to simply buy the oils from one of the companies that produce them.

Doh, I meant for that to be Nitrous Oxide. I have no idea on why they would want to do that with whiskey but I assume it's not good whiskey they are doing it with. Also it would not be to "whip" the item, but to extract the flavors or aromas in a fairly quick and easy process.

That hop vodka looks interesting. I can get 8oz packs of Summit for dirt here from my LHBS. Talk about bittering a yellow beer :cross:

This would suggest that this extraction process uses pressure to extract the flavors of items that are not high is fat (or have 0 fat.) With hops, I think that this might only extract the the aroma oils. I really want to get an essential oil still. I really think that would be a lot of fun to play around with.